clerical
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.
a clerical job.
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doing the work of a clerk or clerks.
a clerical assistant;
a clerical staff.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.
clerical garb.
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advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..
a clerical party.
noun
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a cleric.
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Informal. clericals, clerical garments.
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a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.
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a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.
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Also called clerical error. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.
adjective
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relating to or associated with the clergy
clerical dress
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of or relating to office clerks or their work
a clerical error
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supporting or advocating clericalism
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dismissed by colleagues as a “clerical rat,” he assiduously studied the files whose handling was now his responsibility.
Protests have broken out in at least 17 of Iran's 31 provinces, presenting the largest challenge to the country's clerical establishment since 2022, a BBC Verify and BBC Persian analysis has found.
From BBC
Critics have contended that drivers shouldn’t be punished for clerical errors of the DMV.
From Los Angeles Times
She landed another interview with the mine—this one for a six-month clerical gig that could lead to something permanent.
The misinformation on some community college websites is a clerical problem that campuses have been asked to update, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
