secularism

[ sek-yuh-luh-riz-uhm ]

/ ˈsɛk yə ləˌrɪz əm /

Save This Word!

See 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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of secularism

First recorded in 1850–55; secular + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM secularism

sec·u·lar·ist, noun, adjectivesec·u·lar·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use secularism in a sentence

The 43-year-old Say is an outspoken secularist who has long drawn conservative ire in Muslim-majority Turkey.
Turkish Pianist Fazil Say Found Guilty of Insulting Islam|Mike Giglio|April 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ali is a devoted secularist raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC by parents who fled the Iranian revolution.
Open Zion 2.0|Peter Beinart|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Moussa, a liberal and a secularist, is the current frontrunner, but he is struggling to shed his ties to the former regime.
Confusion Surrounds Egypt’s Presidential Elections, Set for May 23|Ursula Lindsey|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The secularist is one in whom the intellect is passionate, and the passions cold.
The Necessity of Atheism|Dr. D.M. Brooks

A Secularist sees clearly upon what he relies as a Secularist.
The Principles Of Secularism|George Jacob Holyoake
But, in reality, it is not the aggressive Secularist or Atheist who fights these imaginary beings.
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote
In one place he says that "the so-called Secularist is the man who deprives things secular of all power and meaning and beauty."
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote
If, as a Secularist, you refuse to teach any sanction, you must say "You will be punished if you disobey."
A Treatise on Parents and Children|George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for secularism

secularism

/ (ˈsɛkjʊləˌrɪzəm) /

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 forms of secularism

secularist, 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

secularism

Origin of secularism

OTHER WORDS FROM secularism

Words related to secularism

How to use secularism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for secularism

Derived forms of secularism