secular Hear it!

secular Definition

secu·lar (sek′yə lər)

adjective

    1. of or relating to worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church and religion; not sacred or religious; temporal; worldly secular music, secular schools
    2. of or marked by secularism; secularistic
  2. ordained for a diocese
    1. coming or happening only once in an age or century
    2. lasting for an age or ages; continuing for a long time or from age to age

Etymology: ME seculer < OFr < LL(Ec) saecularis, worldly, profane, heathen < L, of an age < saeculum, an age, generation < IE *seitlo- < base *sei-, to scatter, sow

noun

  1. a cleric ordained for a diocese
  2. a person not a cleric; layman

secular Related Forms

sec′u·larly adverb

secular Synonyms

secular

modif.

temporal, profane, earthly; see materialistic, worldly 1.

secular Usage Examples

Converse of object

become: With all this talk of Christianity, it is easy to imagine government becoming less secular.

Adjective modifier

  • more: As he put it: You are going to find a more secular, modernized UUP.
  • new: On 12 January 1858 these courts ceased, and jurisdiction for the granting of probate was passed to the new secular Court of Probate.
  • contemporary: What that mission was is hard to say, but it conflicted with contemporary secular and religious authority and he was eventually crucified.

Modifies a noun

  • humanism: N early all religions have their origins in Secular Humanism.
  • clergy: The Scots College was to be ruled by Italian superiors drawn from the secular clergy.
  • canon: The plays were written by secular canons at Glasney College in Penryn with the intention of teaching ordinary people tales from the Bible.
  • priest: During their rule the college had become the main source of secular priests on the Scottish Mission.
  • republic: Turkey is a secular republic with a fully democratic government.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: In fact they are purely secular merely depicting those who had a special connection with the new house.
  • increasingly: The nineteenth century change was part of an increasingly secular approach to human nature.
  • largely: In largely secular societies, it is not surprising that the concept of blessings has dwindled.
  • essentially: We do not follow an essentially secular model of self fulfillment - this is what you will get.
  • thoroughly: Society tends to emphasize success, materialism, consumerism, is becoming thoroughly secular.

Noun used with modifier

  • modem: Modem secular folk, of course, pretend otherwise.
  • century: To be sure it treads hard on twenty-first century secular certainties.
  • state: Points and increased specifically strong state secular trend should the two known.

Used with adjective complement

become: Society tends to emphasize success, materialism, consumerism, is becoming thoroughly secular.