clerical

American  

[kler-i-kuhl] / ˈklɛr ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.

   a clerical job.

2. doing the work of a clerk or clerks.

   a clerical assistant;

   a clerical staff.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.

   clerical garb.

4. advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..

   a clerical party.

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noun

1. a cleric.

2. Informal. clericals, clerical garments.

3. a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

4. a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

5. Also called clerical error.  a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

clerical British  

/ ˈklɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or associated with the clergy

   clerical dress

2. of or relating to office clerks or their work

   a clerical error

3. supporting or advocating clericalism

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Other Word Forms

• clericality
  noun
• interclerical
  adjective
• nonclerical
  adjective
• preclerical
  adjective
• proclerical
  adjective
• pseudoclerical
  adjective
• quasi-clerical
  adjective
• semiclerical
  adjective
• unclerical
  adjective
• clerically
  adverb
• nonclerically
  adverb
• pseudoclerically
  adverb
• quasi-clerically
  adverb
• semiclerically
  adverb
• unclerically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of clerical

1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 clerical for def. 3; late Middle English < Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric ( us ) cleric + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Anything related to office work is called clerical, especially the more menial and boring jobs such as filing and administration. You might say "The Office" is a clerical comedy. In older times clerical had an additional common meaning of referring to anything to do with the clergy — those ordained for religious work, usually in the Christian faith. Clerical comes from the old Latin term clericus, meaning a "churchman," from which cleric later came, meaning a priest or religious leader. To have "a clerical air" means to be clearly identifiable either as an ink-stained office wretch or a member of the cloth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clerical

Senhor José joins the ranks of Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener and Gogol’s Akaky Akakievich, frayed creatures of clerical administration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

He pointed out that clerical and office-support jobs have been declining for years due to new technology such as computers and the internet.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

Hundreds of former members of the military have had their pensions slashed after receiving letters telling them to repay thousands of pounds because of a clerical error.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Born in Sacramento, he is the son of Mexican immigrants: His mother was a clerical worker and his father picked vegetables, worked in construction and had other jobs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

He seemed to have forgiven Tessie for breaking off' their engagement years ago, but it was always there in the air between them, like the talcum powder that sometimes puffed out of his clerical collar.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical