clerical
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.
a clerical job.
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doing the work of a clerk or clerks.
a clerical assistant;
a clerical staff.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.
clerical garb.
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advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..
a clerical party.
noun
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a cleric.
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Informal. clericals, clerical garments.
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a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.
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a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.
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Also called clerical error. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.
adjective
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relating to or associated with the clergy
clerical dress
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of or relating to office clerks or their work
a clerical error
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supporting or advocating clericalism
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
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.
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
Coding and clerical tasks are far more straightforward and lucrative.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
The changes come more than a week after federal regulators ordered California’s Department of Motor Vehicles to cancel about 13,000 such licenses due to a clerical error.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
The door opens and a Negro man stands there looking at me, his white clerical collar gleaming.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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.
