secular

[sek-yuh-ler]

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.

noun

1. a layperson.

2. one of the secular clergy.

secular

/ 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

noun

1. a member of the secular clergy

2. another word for layman

secular

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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

C13: from Old French seculer, from Late Latin saeculāris temporal, from Latin: concerning an age, from saeculum an age

Example Sentences

Some historians find its origins in the secular individualism of the 18th-century Enlightenment, or in the earlier political thought of John Locke or Thomas Hobbes.

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A soldier wrapped in a battle flag is cradled by a woman, like the dead Jesus draped across Mary’s lap, a second woman rising behind them like a secular St. Anne.

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Opposition groups criticized the tributes as offensive to India’s secular constitution.

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Our literature and other traditions tell us we have longed for but also feared a secular savior powerful enough to put these fears at bay.

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Diplomats joined international lawyers and experts from nonprofit foundations and the academy to form a secular clerisy that set rules for governments to impose.

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Related Words

• civil 
• materialistic 
• worldly