secular

C2 Topic:Time

US /ˈsɛkjələɹ/ UK /ˈsɛkjʊlə/ See IPA manual

Freq #20294

Meanings

1

adj
Not connected with religion or spiritual matters.

The country has a secular government that keeps religion out of politics.
2

adj
Continuing or developing over a very long period of time.

Economists pointed to a secular decline in manufacturing jobs.
3

adj
Of clergy, not bound by the vows of a monastic order.

The parish was run by a secular priest rather than a monk.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · continuing or developing... long-term

3 adj · of clergy, not bound by the... nonmonastic

More areligiouscivil earthly irreligiouslaicistlaicisticmundane nonreligious profane temporal unconsecratedunsanctified

Opposites

clerical ecclesiastical eternal everlasting frequent holyintemporallaynon-recurringnonprofanenonsecularnontemporal

Word family

Derived forms antisecularintersecularintrasecularmultisecularpalaeosecularpaleosecularplurisecularpostsecularpresecularpro-secularpseudosecularsecularisation

Related forms atheistic godless material mundane practical quotidian rationalsecle

Etymology

From Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum.

seculer Middle English saeculāris Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Time Religion & Belief Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# secular

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɛkjələɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɛkjʊlə/
**Frequency rank:** 20294

## Meanings
1. Not connected with religion or spiritual matters.
2. Continuing or developing over a very long period of time.
3. Of clergy, not bound by the vows of a monastic order.

## Examples
- The country has a secular government that keeps religion out of politics.
- Economists pointed to a secular decline in manufacturing jobs.
- The parish was run by a secular priest rather than a monk.

## Synonyms
- areligious
- civil
- earthly
- irreligious
- laicist
- laicistic
- mundane
- nonreligious
- profane
- temporal
- unconsecrated
- unsanctified

## Antonyms
- clerical
- ecclesiastical
- eternal
- everlasting
- frequent
- holy
- intemporal
- lay
- non-recurring
- nonprofane
- nonsecular
- nontemporal

## Derived Forms
- antisecular
- intersecular
- intrasecular
- multisecular
- palaeosecular
- paleosecular
- plurisecular
- postsecular
- presecular
- pro-secular
- pseudosecular
- secularisation

## Related Forms
- atheistic
- godless
- material
- mundane
- practical
- quotidian
- rational
- secle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: seculer
- Root: saeculāris

## Etymology
From Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum.

## AI Etymology
Secular is from Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum. Important recorded forms include seculer (Middle English), seculer (Old French), and saeculāris (Latin). Current senses include not connected with religion or spiritual matters and continuing or developing over a very long period of time. The wider family includes derived forms such as antisecular, intersecular, intrasecular, multisecular, and palaeosecular; related words such as atheistic, godless, material, and mundane.

## Topics
- Time
- Religion & Belief
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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