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.

---

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

---

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

Roughly 20% to 30% of travel-insurance claims are denied, according to Squaremouth, usually due to missing paperwork or clerical errors.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Not all Shias saw Khamenei as their principal religious guide, but he became widely respected as a clerical authority and for standing up for a sect that has historically felt persecuted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

On Tuesday, there will be a funeral procession and prayers in the central city of Qom, the centre of Iran's Shia Muslim clerical establishment.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Following Khomeini's death on June 3, 1989, the Assembly of Experts clerical body convened an emergency session and named Khamenei interim leader.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

We are writing to notify you that your acceptance to the University of Georgia Honors Program was, in fact, a clerical error.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical