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

Those unions represent school police, school clerical workers and custodial and cafeteria supervisors, among others.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

August won that riding by a single vote in the last election before the results were tossed by the Supreme Court earlier this year over a clerical error on a mail-in ballot.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

According to the NCRI, the MEK regularly carried out actions inside Iran aimed at the clerical authorities.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

I worked in a cramped circle of desks with two lawyers and did clerical work, answering phones and researching legal questions for staff.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical