secular

secular — adjective

1. relating to activities, institutions, or ways of thinking that have no connectio

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to activities, institutions, or ways of thinking that have no connection with any church, faith, or spiritual belief system — for example, a school that does not teach religion or a government that does not follow religious rules.

Example

Ritu's school is a secular institution that teaches science without any religious viewpoint.

collocation: secular institution

The charity provides help to homeless people and keeps a strictly secular approach.

collocation: strictly secular

Common collocations
  • secular society
  • secular state
  • secular education
  • secular music
  • secular world
  • secular institution
  • strictly secular
  • largely secular
Synonyms
  • non-religious

    more direct and informal; used for people or activities that simply lack religion

  • worldly

    suggests a focus on material life rather than spiritual matters; slightly negative tone in religious contexts

  • temporal

    refers to worldly time-bound matters as opposed to eternal spiritual ones; more formal and philosophical

Antonyms
  • religious

    the most direct opposite; connected with faith or worship

  • sacred

    treated as holy and deserving of respect because of its connection with God

  • spiritual

    relating to the soul or spirit rather than material things

Grammar Patterns

secular + noun

be + secular

Usage Note

Commonly appears before nouns describing institutions (schools, governments, charities) to indicate they operate without religious control. The opposite is 'religious' or 'sacred'.

Common Mistakes

The party was completely secular — we danced and sang.
The party was completely non-religious
we danced and sang.' — 'secular' is too formal for casual social events and sounds unnatural in that context.

2. describing a Christian priest who serves a local church and lives in the general

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a Christian priest who serves a local church and lives in the general community, rather than belonging to a religious order that requires living inside a monastery.

Example

Father Otis is a secular priest who lives in an apartment rather than a monastery.

collocation: secular priest

The cathedral has both secular clergy and monks who work together in the community.

collocation: secular clergy

Common collocations
  • secular priest
  • secular clergy
  • secular cleric
Synonyms
  • diocesan

    specifically refers to a priest who serves a diocese under a bishop; very close in meaning but emphasizes administrative structure

  • parish

    used as an adjective (parish priest) to describe a priest assigned to a local church

Antonyms
  • regular

    the technical term for clergy who follow the rule (regula) of a religious order in a monastery

  • monastic

    relating to monks who live in a monastery under vows

Grammar Patterns

secular + noun (priest, clergy, etc.)

Usage Note

This sense applies only to Christian clergy. The opposite is 'regular' (meaning bound by monastic rules). Do not confuse with sense 1 — this is a specialized religious term, not about the absence of religion.

Common Mistakes

The monk was a secular priest.
The monk was a regular priest.
Monks belong to religious orders, so they are 'regular' clergy, not 'secular' clergy.

secular — noun

Word family

  • secularism
    nounC1
  • secularist
    nounC1
  • secularize
    verbC1
  • secularization
    nounC1
  • secularly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words describe a lack of connection to religion, they differ in scope and tone. 'Secular' is the most neutral and formal term, used for institutions and systems (a secular state, secular education). 'Non-religious' is more direct and informal, often used for people or personal choices (a non-religious wedding). 'Worldly' carries a slightly negative tone in religious communities, suggesting someone is too focused on material pleasures and status rather than spiritual matters. 'Temporal' is the most formal and philosophical, contrasting temporary earthly life with eternal spiritual reality ('temporal' vs 'eternal' time). For example, a country can be a secular republic (neutral, institutional), but calling someone worldly implies judgment, whereas calling them non-religious is simply descriptive.

secular ↗non-religiousworldly ↗temporal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • strictly secular
  • largely secular
  • increasingly secular
  • overtly secular

Phrases

  • secular vs. religious
  • the secular world
  • secular and sacred

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'secular' comes from the Latin 'saecularis', meaning 'of an age, generation, or era'. In Latin, 'saeculum' originally referred to a human lifespan or a generation. Early Christians used 'saecularis' to describe the 'present age' or 'worldly affairs' as opposed to the eternal spiritual realm. By the 13th century, the term had entered English through French, first referring to clergy who lived 'in the world' (saeculum) rather than in monasteries. The broader modern meaning of 'non-religious' developed over the 16th–19th centuries as European societies began separating church and state.