secular

[ sek-yuh-ler ]

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal:

   secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion ( sacred ):

   secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.
4. (of members of the clergy) not belonging to a religious order; not bound by monastic vows ( regular ).
5. occurring or celebrated once in an age or century:

   the secular games of Rome.

6. going on from age to age; continuing through long ages.

noun

1. a layperson.
2. one of the secular clergy.

secular

/ ˈsɛkjʊlə /

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly as opposed to sacred things; temporal
2. not concerned with or related to religion
3. not within the control of the Church
4. of an education, etc
   1. having no particular religious affinities
   2. not including compulsory religious studies or services
5. (of clerics) not bound by religious vows to a monastic or other order
6. occurring or appearing once in an age or century
7. lasting for a long time
8. astronomy occurring slowly over a long period of time

   the secular perturbation of a planet's orbit

noun

1. a member of the secular clergy
2. another word for layman

secular

1. Not concerned with religion or religious matters. Secular is the opposite of sacred .

Notes

Secularization refers to the declining influence of religion and religious values within a given culture . Secular humanismmeans, loosely, a belief in human self-sufficiency.

Derived Forms

• ˈsecularly, adverb

Other Words From

• secu·lar·ly adverb
• non·secu·lar adjective
• pre·secu·lar adjective
• super·secu·lar adjective
• super·secu·lar·ly adverb
• un·secu·lar adjective
• un·secu·lar·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Medieval Latin sēculāris, Late Latin saeculāris “worldly, temporal (opposed to eternal),” Latin: “of an age,” equivalent to Latin saecul(um) “long period, age” + -āris -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

C13: from Old French seculer, from Late Latin saeculāris temporal, from Latin: concerning an age, from saeculum an age

Example Sentences

It sits atop secular trends towards e-commerce over traditional retail, mobile commerce over static, and what I would call a cultural rethinking of used goods in recent years.

From TechCrunch

At this time of year, holiday-themed bars are secular temples.

From Washington Post

The country has been proud of its technology sector, which has been a bright spot in an economy that has been battered by long-term secular decline in industries ranging from mining and steel to oil and gas to retail.

From Fortune

Officials stress that they also have strong ties with the secular Palestinian party Fatah, which runs the West Bank.

From Ozy

The Islamist militant group emerged in 1987 as a rival to the secular, left-leaning Palestine Liberation Organization, drawing inspiration from the Muslim Brotherhood of neighboring Egypt.

From Ozy

For the last nine years, they have battled secular Baluch nationalists who would like to see an independent Baluchistan.

From The Daily Beast

He advocates a secular regime with a total separation of religion form the government.

From The Daily Beast

So here, for your Christmas Eve pleasure, are 20 of my favorites, 10 from the ecclesiastical division and 10 secular.

From The Daily Beast

From the religious (‘The Holly and the Ivy’) to the secular (‘The Chipmunk Song’), my top 20.

From The Daily Beast

A secular police state well practiced in suppressing internal challenges.

From The Daily Beast

Besides these, twenty thousand Indians are under the care of secular priests—making a total of two hundred and five thousand.

From Project Gutenberg

Condition of the archbishopric of Manila in regard to the affairs of ecclesiastical and secular government.

From Project Gutenberg

In the port of Cavite, three leguas from Manila, there is a parochial church in charge of a beneficed secular priest.

From Project Gutenberg

Whenever the contrary is heard from anyone, he is corrected, admonished, and punished—by myself if he is a secular.

From Project Gutenberg

In it they established two religious for each subject, and they have twenty secular collegiates.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• civil
• materialistic
• worldly