secular 1 of 2

adjective

ˈse-kyə-lər How to pronounce secular (audio)
Definition of secularnext
as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters that's an issue for the secular authorities, not the church

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

secular

2 of 2

noun

as in layman

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of secular
Adjective
More than 35,000 war monuments reinforced the secular values of the French Third Republic in public spaces by focusing on equality of sacrifice and drawing on republican symbols. — Shannon Fogg, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 These tragic flashpoints were mythologized into persecution stories, recast by right-wing Christian leaders not as tragic consequences of radical defiance but as proof of an evil secular government at war with faith and freedom. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
There was a change of heart among the secular nationalists during the second intifada—which started in 2000 and ended in 2005—in which seculars also joined forces. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023 His selection of works, for example, mixed the sacred with the secular, interspersing chorale preludes (which use Lutheran hymns as their point of departure) with the six trio sonatas for organ. — Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for secular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secular
  1. temporal
  2. layman
  3. nonreligious
  4. layperson
Adjective
  • The happy faces lit up their temporal cortex and caudate nucleus, which are parts of the brain associated with higher cognitive and reward processing.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The study also establishes Cygnus X-3 as the first ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source known to show temporal variability.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of temporal
Noun
  • Any fan of the franchise will tell you that the full lore of the world crafted by Tetsuya Nomura is virtually nonsensical to explain to a layman.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Hundreds of laymen, actuated solely by idle curiosity, received little more than a crick in the neck for their pains.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of layman
Adjective
  • According to the study, more than 97% of religious respondents and 80% of nonreligious respondents said they had been spiritually moved, inspired or comforted by online content.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • More than two dozen families from a range of religious and nonreligious backgrounds are challenging the mandate across 22 Texas school districts.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of nonreligious
Noun
  • Those names may not mean much to a layperson, but all have, at times, been sentenced to years in prison for international animal smuggling.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • These creators are savvy online marketers who can dizzy a layperson with complex discussions of ROI, content stream diversification and fan-intake funnels.
    — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
Definition of layperson

Browse Nearby Words

sects
secular
secularism
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All