secular

1 of 2

adjective

sec·​u·​lar ˈse-kyə-lər How to pronounce secular (audio)
Synonyms of secularnext
1
a
: of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world
secular concerns
b
: not overtly or specifically religious
But the [gospel] song was a hit across the board, and received airplay on secular radio stations as well.—Brooklyn White
We weren't allowed to go to movies, listen to secular music, or watch TV.—Aaron Hartzler
c
: of or relating to the government rather than the church
secular courts
secular landowners
d
: organized around impersonal and utilitarian values and patterns and not receptive to new traits
a modern industrialized secular society
2
: not bound by monastic vows or rules
specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation
a secular priest
3
a
: occurring once in an age or a century
b
: existing or continuing through ages or centuries
c
: of or relating to a long term of indefinite duration
secular inflation
A secular increase in the quantity of money is required in a growing economy …—Milton Friedman
secularity
ˌse-kyə-ˈler-ə-tē How to pronounce secular (audio)
-ˈla-rə-
noun
secularly
ˈse-kyə-lər-lē How to pronounce secular (audio)
adverb

secular

2 of 2

noun

plural seculars or secular
1
: an ecclesiastic (such as a diocesan priest) not bound by monastic vows or rules : a member of the secular clergy
2
: layman sense 1

Frequently Asked Questions

Are secular and atheist synonyms?

Although they may often come up in similar contexts, secular and atheist are not synonyms. Secular is most often used as an adjective (although it is also a noun), while atheist is mostly found as a noun (atheistic and atheistical are the common adjective forms). Additionally, atheist means "a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods," whereas secular has a number of meanings, including "not overtly or specifically religious," "not bound by monastic vows or rules," and "occurring once in an age or a century."

Is secular always related to religion?

In contemporary English, secular is primarily used to distinguish something (such as an attitude, belief, or position) that is not specifically religious or sectarian in nature (for example, music with no religious connection or affiliation might be described as "secular"). However, certain meanings of secular do have some basis in religion, such as "not bound by monastic vows or rules," and "of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation."

Can secular be a noun?

Secular does have some meanings as a noun, including "an ecclesiastic (such as a diocesan priest) not bound by monastic vows or rules; a member of the secular clergy." However, the word meaning "indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations" is secularism rather than secular.

Synonyms of secular

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of secular in a Sentence

Adjective Bloomberg, by contrast, would be the most pro-immigration, pro-free trade, pro-Wall Street candidate in the race. The third-party candidate he would most resemble is John Anderson, the fiscally responsible, culturally liberal Republican who ran as an Independent in 1980. Anderson won 7% of the vote, mostly among the young, educated and secular. But today those people are partisan Democrats. —Peter Beinart, Time, 11 Feb. 2008
In the early twentieth century, priests and religious built centers for Catholic study and worship on secular campuses. —Maurice Timothy Reidy, Commonweal, 7 Apr. 2006
Some women, indeed, achieved great renown for their religious scholarship, becoming role models for their peers and silently challenging men, who for so long had held a monopoly in this area. Though they never carried the title of "rabbi" and in many cases eschewed the controversial "f-word" (feminism) altogether, these Orthodox women produced no less a revolution in the late twentieth century than women did in so many other realms, religious and secular alike. By challenging Judaism, they ended up strengthening Judaism. —Jonathan D. Sarna, American Judaism, 2004
The reforms of the nineteenth century and the needs of commercial and other contacts with Europe led to the enactment of new laws, modeled on those of Europe—commercial, civil, criminal, and finally constitutional. In the traditional order the only lawyers were the ulema, the doctors of the Holy Law, at once jurists and theologians. The secular lawyer, pleading in courts administering secular law, represented a new and influential element in society. —Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong?, 2002
Both secular and religious institutions can apply for the funds. that's an issue for the secular authorities, not the church
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
That is the signature of a secular build-out, not a speculative top. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Some of the country’s feminist projects are secular, but many are grounded in the nation’s majority Muslim faith. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 June 2026
Noun
Gilbert presents us with a sharp distinction between the religious and the secular in the United States today. — The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2022 These data imply to me that the secular are getting idiocratic faster than the fundamentalists. — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012 See All Example Sentences for secular

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French seculer, from Late Latin saecularis, from saeculum the present world, from Latin, generation, age, century, world; akin to Welsh hoedl lifetime

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of secular was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing secular

Rhymes for secular

See All Rhymes for secular

Browse Nearby Words

secty
secular
secular arm
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secular. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

secular

adjective
sec·​u·​lar
ˈsek-yə-lər
1
a
: not spiritual : worldly
secular concerns
b
: not religious
secular music
c
: of, relating to, or regulated by the state rather than the church
secular courts
2
: of or relating to members of the clergy who do not belong to a religious community
a secular priest
secularly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on secular

Nglish: Translation of secular for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All