secular

American  

[sek-yuh-ler] / ˈsɛk jə 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 (opposed to 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 (opposed to 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
• supersecular
  adjective
• unsecular
  adjective
• secularly
  adverb
• supersecularly
  adverb
• unsecularly
  adverb

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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

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Explanation

Secular things are not religious. Anything not affiliated with a church or faith can be called secular. Non-religious people can be called atheists or agnostics, but to describe things, activities, or attitudes that have nothing to do with religion, you can use the word secular. Public schools are secular, but Catholic schools are not. Grocery stores are secular; a synagogue is not. If there's no religion involved, then you're in "the secular world" — as people sometimes call everything that exists outside of religion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secular

Elections are the closest thing to a civic sacrament in a secular, democratic state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Tens of thousands of people have been detained, mainly Brotherhood officials and supporters but also leading secular and liberal activists, media workers and academics.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

"When you behave like the boss, people respect you," he said at a recent event for English speakers in Tel Aviv, considered Israel's secular, liberal heartland.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

An Orthodox Jewish day school isn’t a secular school that happens to be operated by Jews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

With them I normally will observe the politesse of secular society concerning religion—say nothing about it.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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Related Words

• civil
• materialistic
• worldly

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