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

Other unions — including those that represent school clerical workers, plant and cafeteria managers, building trades workers and school police — settled their contracts previously.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

In February, Canada's top court nullified the result over a clerical error involving a postal ballot by the federal election agency, Elections Canada.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Survival has always been the clerical regime’s primary objective.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House, said that Iran's ballistic missile capabilities had undoubtedly been diminished compared to before the war, but its clerical leadership remained intact.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Richard Parker was so named because of a clerical error.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical