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

Braving a cold drizzle, the protesters cheered loudly when Pahlavi took the stage and told the crowd: "I am here to guarantee a transition to a secular democratic future".

From Barron's

The U.S., she continued, should “support the aspirations of the Iranian people for a secular democracy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Hindus made up 14.6  percent of Bangladesh's population after independence in 1971, but their share has declined sharply to less than 10 percent in the officially secular country.

From Barron's

Monthly candlestick charts, available on Friday, the last trading day in January, offer a clearer view of the secular trend.

From Barron's

They believe in an enlightened, secular Islam compatible with freedom of conscience and civil equality.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• civil
• materialistic
• worldly