secular
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
adj.denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis; distinct from the clergy.
Simple“The country has a secular government that does not favour any specific religion.”
In context“In many modern democracies, the separation of church and state ensures that secular law remains independent of theological doctrine.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.happening or changing very slowly over a long period of time.
adj.of or relating to long-term trends or fluctuations that are not periodic; persisting over centuries or ages.
Simple“Scientists are studying the secular cooling of the planet over millions of years.”
In context“The secular variation in the Earth's magnetic field is a gradual process that requires centuries of data to map accurately.”
UsageIn technical contexts, this adjective usually precedes the noun it modifies.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.existing for many centuries.
adj.having existed for ages or centuries; ancient in origin.
Simple“The secular oaks had stood in the forest since before the kingdom was founded.”
In context“The poet reflected on the secular traditions of the valley, which had remained unchanged despite the rise and fall of numerous empires.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.someone who is not a member of the clergy or a religious order.
n.a person who is not bound by monastic vows or clerical rules; a layman.
Simple“The council was made up of both high-ranking priests and respected seculars.”
In context“The historical document distinguishes between the rights of the monastic orders and those of the seculars living within the city walls.”
“She considered herself secular, and so the couple joined the Worker’s Circle , a nonreligious Ashkenazi institution rather than a synagogue.”
“For example, one fragment comes from a dramatic poem called L'Estoire de Griseldis, a secular play thought to have been written by Philippe de Mézières around 1395.”
From Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.