clerical

American  

[kler-i-kuhl] / ˈklɛr ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.

   a clerical job.

2. doing the work of a clerk or clerks.

   a clerical assistant;

   a clerical staff.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.

   clerical garb.

4. advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..

   a clerical party.

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noun

1. a cleric.

2. Informal. clericals, clerical garments.

3. a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

4. a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

5. Also called clerical error.  a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

clerical British  

/ ˈklɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or associated with the clergy

   clerical dress

2. of or relating to office clerks or their work

   a clerical error

3. supporting or advocating clericalism

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Other Word Forms

• clericality noun
• clerically adverb
• interclerical adjective
• nonclerical adjective
• nonclerically adverb
• preclerical adjective
• proclerical adjective
• pseudoclerical adjective
• pseudoclerically adverb
• quasi-clerical adjective
• quasi-clerically adverb
• semiclerical adjective
• semiclerically adverb
• unclerical adjective
• unclerically adverb

Etymology

Origin of clerical

1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 clerical for def. 3; late Middle English < Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric ( us ) cleric + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Anything related to office work is called clerical, especially the more menial and boring jobs such as filing and administration. You might say "The Office" is a clerical comedy. In older times clerical had an additional common meaning of referring to anything to do with the clergy — those ordained for religious work, usually in the Christian faith. Clerical comes from the old Latin term clericus, meaning a "churchman," from which cleric later came, meaning a priest or religious leader. To have "a clerical air" means to be clearly identifiable either as an ink-stained office wretch or a member of the cloth.

Example Sentences

Other unions — including those that represent school clerical workers, plant and cafeteria managers, building trades workers and school police — settled their contracts previously.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Survival has always been the clerical regime’s primary objective.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The MEK opposed the rule of the shah and initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution but rapidly fell out with the new clerical leadership in the 1980s.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Automation had been hollowing out middle-skill work since the early 2000s, quietly eliminating the clerical roles, bookkeeping jobs and sales positions that once absorbed India's graduates.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

If it played a role in disenchanting the world, it did so precisely because it was effectively inculcated among the educated, clerical and lay, male and female.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical