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secularize

[ sek-yuh-luh-rahyz ]
/ ˈsɛk yə ləˌraɪz /
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verb (used with object), sec·u·lar·ized, sec·u·lar·iz·ing.
to make secular; separate from religious or spiritual connection or influences; make worldly or unspiritual; imbue with secularism.
to change (clergy) from regular to secular.
to transfer (property) from ecclesiastical to civil possession or use.
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Also especially British, sec·u·lar·ise .

Origin of secularize

First recorded in 1605–15; secular + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM secularize

sec·u·lar·i·za·tion [sek-yuh-luh-rahy-zey-shuhn] /ˌsɛk yə lə raɪˈzeɪ ʃən/ nounsec·u·lar·iz·er, nouno·ver·sec·u·lar·ize, verb (used with object), o·ver·sec·u·lar·ized, o·ver·sec·u·lar·iz·ing.un·sec·u·lar·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use secularize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for secularize

secularize

secularise

/ (ˈsɛkjʊləˌraɪz) /

verb (tr)
to change from religious or sacred to secular functions, etc
to dispense from allegiance to a religious order
law to transfer (property) from ecclesiastical to civil possession or use
English legal history to transfer (an offender) from the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts to that of the civil courts for the imposition of a more severe punishment

Derived forms of secularize

secularization or secularisation, nounsecularizer or seculariser, noun
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
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