secularization
Americannoun
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separation from religious or spiritual connection or influences.
The secularization of America can be seen in politics, legal decisions, and educational institutions, as well as in the arts and the media.
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the transfer of property from ecclesiastical to civil possession or use.
There continues to be a debate about the secularization of religious art objects now exhibited in museum settings.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of secularization
Explanation
When something changes from being closely connected to or controlled by religion to being nonreligious, that's secularization. A religious school that's ending its affiliation with a church is undergoing secularization. An institution, government, or society that has no connection to religion is secular, and the process of moving toward being secular is secularization. If a country's population has become less religious or spiritual over time, it's evidence of the secularization of the entire society. Many colleges, including Harvard University for example, were religious institutions until they underwent secularization.
Vocabulary lists containing secularization
World Religions
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Content Summary 6.2: A New Age of Revolutions: Mexico, Russia, and China
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The Contemporary Period, c. 1914 to the Present
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the latter regard, the authors make the surprising assertion that “if we view secularization as the process of prioritizing political considerations over religious worldviews, then HTS was secularizing.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025
The problem, as he sees it, is the secularization of society.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2023
Instead, Kramer said, the United States appears to be going through a pattern of secularization that has happened in other countries, though “we may be a bit behind.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2022
They noted that their findings "suggest that under dramatic circumstances a short-term religious revival is possible, even in contexts where the process of secularization is ongoing."
From Salon • Jan. 26, 2022
In 1813 the Spanish Cortes ordered the secularization of all missions in America that were ten years old, but this decree was not published in California until 1821.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
