secularism

[sek-yuh-luh-riz-uh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR secularism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

secular spirit or tendency, especially a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship.

the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element.

Origin of secularism

First recorded in 1850–55; secular + -ism

Related formssec·u·lar·ist, noun, adjectivesec·u·lar·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for secularism

blasphemy, fallacy, dissent, infidelity, defection, impiety, disbelief, nonconformity, divergence, schism, atheism, error, apostasy, sin, dissidence, revisionism, iconoclasm, secularism, heterodoxy, agnosticism

Examples from the Web for secularism

Contemporary Examples of secularism

Nevertheless, the triumph of West Coast spiritualism over East Coast secularism has civilization-wide implications.
Can Heritage Foundation Posterboy Bono Save the GOP?
James Poulos
March 15, 2014
For this Muslim-majority nation, secularism was not a momentary reaction to Pakistani brutality.
Bangladesh’s Unfinished War
K. Anis Ahmed
March 11, 2013
Bennett is genteel, an elite solider, someone who is as comfortable with secularism as he is with his religiosity.
Why I Like Naftali Bennett
Shaul Magid
January 17, 2013
“We are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region,” he said.
Syria’s Assad to West: ‘I Am Tougher Than Gaddafi’
Mike Giglio
November 8, 2012
For the religiously committed, the rise of secularism powerfully facilitated the cause of cooperation among fervent believers.
Why Romney’s Mormonism Has Caused No Backlash Among GOP Faithful
Michael Medved
October 29, 2012

Historical Examples of secularism

Had she not always been strongly biased in favor of secularism?
We Two
Edna Lyall
What do they know about the thousand difficulties which have driven people into secularism?
We Two
Edna Lyall
Complacency cannot understand reverence, nor secularism, religion.
The Approach to Philosophy
Ralph Barton Perry
Any departure from them in an institution, proves its secularism.
Monks, Popes, and their Political Intrigues
John Alberger
What connection does he discover between Secularism and selfishness?
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote

British Dictionary definitions for secularism

secularism

noun

philosophy a doctrine that rejects religion, esp in ethics

the attitude that religion should have no place in civil affairs

the state of being secular

Derived Formssecularist, noun, adjectivesecularistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for secularism

"doctrine that morality should be based on the well-being of man in the present life, without regard to religious belief or a hereafter," 1846, from secular + -ism.