What does "secular" mean?
A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules.
Secular
/ˈsɛkjʊlə/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules.
- Grammar: secular is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: temporal, worldly, annual, atheist.
- Useful contrasts: cyclical, eternal, everlasting.
- Usage evidence: What is the opinion of a cultured, secular and sincere man?
How to use "secular"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "secular" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "secular" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "secular" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "secular" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "secular" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "temporal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "secular", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules.
"On further examination, I found the clergy, in general, persons of moderate minds and decorous manners : I include the seculars, and the regulars of both sexes"
- 2 someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person wordnet
- 3 A church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir.
- 4 A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.
Adjective
- 1 Not specifically religious; lay or civil, as opposed to clerical.
- 2 Temporal; worldly, or otherwise not based on something timeless.
- 3 Not bound by the vows of a religious order.
"Near-synonym: nonmonastic"
- 4 Happening once in an age or century.
"The secular games of ancient Rome were held to mark the end of a saeculum and the beginning of the next."
- 5 Continuing over a long period of time.
"The long-term growth in population and income accounts for most secular trends in economic phenomena."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Centuries-old, ancient. literary
"The long reaches that were like one and the same reach, monotonous bends that were exactly alike, slipped past the steamer with their multitude of secular trees looking patiently after this grimy fragment of another world, the forerunner of change, of conquest, of trade, of massacres, of blessings."
- 7 Relating to long-term non-periodic irregularities, especially in planetary motion or magnetic field.
"Laplace (1749–1827) "saved the world" by using probability theory to estimate the parameters accurately enough to show that the drift of Jupiter was not secular after all; the observations at hand had covered only a fraction of a cycle of an oscillation with a period of about 880 years."
- 8 Unperturbed over time.
"The secular A and nonsecular B parts of hyperfine interaction for any particular frequencies ν_α and ν_β are derived from eqn.(21) by ..."
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to clergy not bound by monastic vows wordnet
- 2 not concerned with or devoted to religion wordnet
- 3 characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy wordnet
- 4 characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world wordnet
- 5 of or relating to the doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"What is the opinion of a cultured, secular and sincere man?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "secular"?
Common synonyms include: temporal, worldly, annual, atheist, atheistic, biannual.
How do you use "secular" in a sentence?
What is the opinion of a cultured, secular and sincere man?
How do you pronounce "secular"?
Pronounced /ˈsɛkjʊlə/.
Etymology
From Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum.