nonsectarian
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of nonsectarian
Explanation
You can describe something as nonsectarian if it's not connected or affiliated with any particular religious or political belief. A college is nonsectarian if it isn't associated with a religion or church, and a Sunday school class that teaches all religions is also nonsectarian. Something that's sectarian follows the rules of a particular group or sect, and it's the Latin word secta that's at the root of both sectarian and nonsectarian. The literal meaning of secta is "a way or a road," and its figurative meaning is "a following, school of thought, or religious group."
Vocabulary lists containing nonsectarian
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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.
What about universities that are nonsectarian but have values deeply connected to a particular religious community?
From Slate ● May 22, 2025
For decades in California, those dollars have only been permitted to go to schools that are nonsectarian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
Initially women-driven, the nonsectarian center took root in Catholicism long before 1924.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
“It’s not an easy needle to thread, to be a nonsectarian institution, clearly founded by people with evangelical principles and worldviews.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
He assured them that the service would always be nonsectarian, that there would never be anything in it to offend any one of any race, creed, or religion.
From The Plastic Age by Marks, Percy
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.
