nonsectarian

[non-sek-tair-ee-uhn]

adjective

1. not affiliated with or limited to a specific religious denomination.

nonsectarian

/ ˌnɒnsɛkˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. not narrow-minded, esp as a result of rigid adherence to a particular sect; broad-minded

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonsectarian¹

First recorded in 1825–35; non- + sectarian

Example Sentences

It has been understood those schools are both public and “nonsectarian,” or not religious.

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By the 1930s, though, the world was moving into a nonsectarian Palisades — specifically, many intellectual refugees from Nazi-menaced Europe.

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For decades in California, those dollars have only been permitted to go to schools that are nonsectarian.

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By the 1970s, however, Christian private schools outnumbered the nonsectarian ones, which inspired political activism among Christian evangelists who had shown little political interest previously.

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“It’s not an easy needle to thread, to be a nonsectarian institution, clearly founded by people with evangelical principles and worldviews.”

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Related Words

• multicultural