secular

American  

[sek-yuh-ler] / ˈsɛk yə lər /

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.

   secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (sacred ).

   secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

4. (of members of the clergy) not belonging to a religious order; not bound by monastic vows (regular ).

5. occurring or celebrated once in an age or century.

   the secular games of Rome.

6. going on from age to age; continuing through long ages.

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noun

1. a layperson.

2. one of the secular clergy.

secular British  

/ ˈsɛkjʊlə /

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly as opposed to sacred things; temporal

2. not concerned with or related to religion

3. not within the control of the Church

4. 1. having no particular religious affinities

   2. not including compulsory religious studies or services

5. (of clerics) not bound by religious vows to a monastic or other order

6. occurring or appearing once in an age or century

7. lasting for a long time

8. astronomy occurring slowly over a long period of time

   the secular perturbation of a planet's orbit

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noun

1. a member of the secular clergy

2. another word for layman

secular Cultural  

1. Not concerned with religion or religious matters. Secular is the opposite of sacred.

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Discover More

Secularization refers to the declining influence of religion and religious values within a given culture. Secular humanism means, loosely, a belief in human self-sufficiency.

Other Word Forms

• nonsecular adjective
• presecular adjective
• secularly adverb
• supersecular adjective
• supersecularly adverb
• unsecular adjective
• unsecularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of secular

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Medieval Latin sēculāris, Late Latin saeculāris “worldly, temporal (opposed to eternal),” Latin: “of an age,” equivalent to Latin saecul(um) “long period, age” + -āris -ar ¹

Example Sentences

Sometimes these efforts attempt to be positive; contemporary Christian music has long attempted to imitate secular chart success, but with a “Jesus loves you” message.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

Despite geopolitical uncertainties weighing on the broader market and worries over AI development, Muse said he thinks “we are in the early innings of a multiyear secular uplift for the semi-equipment industry.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Looking at its daily chart, losing the 200-day simple moving average is not a crime, as many prudent stops are placed at this long-term secular line.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

The most secular of Jews, Sondheim is now the subject of a biography in Yale University Press’ excellent Jewish Lives series.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

They had judiciary powers, and could act as judges in both the religious and secular courts.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• civil
• materialistic
• worldly