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
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.
He may well know that the Islamic revolution actually intensified the country’s secularization.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
Whatever triggered this wave of secularization, the effect was to fling open the door to thinking, for the first time since the ancients, that human extinction might be possible.
From Salon • Oct. 8, 2023
He hinted that it might be because of the rise of secularization.
From Washington Post • Apr. 16, 2023
The problem, as he sees it, is the secularization of society.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2023
The Episcopal Church is making great efforts to prevent the secularization of the Clergy Reserves, and a general Convention of both the clergy and laity has been held at Toronto, in opposition to the measure.
From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 4, July, 1851 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.
