anticlerical
adjective
an·ti·cler·i·cal
ˌan-tē-ˈkler-i-kəl 
ˌan-ˌtī-
ˌan-ˌtī-
: opposed to clericalism or to the interference or influence of the clergy in secular affairs
anticlerical
noun
Examples of anticlerical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1910, France was in an uproar over recent anticlerical legislation that had led to the closure of many Catholic schools and monasteries.
—
Rosanna Warren, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024
But its priests have historically been constrained by the anticlerical policies that took root during the 19th-century war of independence from Spain.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Champollion was brash, romantic, outspoken, anticlerical, and antimonarchist.
—Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2021
The radical left, though, has always been violently anticlerical.
—Dominic Green, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2020
Though witches have most often been treated throughout history as evil in both fiction and in real life, sentiments began to change in the 19th century as anticlerical, individualist values took hold across Europe.
—Pam Grossman, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2019
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Rosanna Warren, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024
But its priests have historically been constrained by the anticlerical policies that took root during the 19th-century war of independence from Spain.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Champollion was brash, romantic, outspoken, anticlerical, and antimonarchist.
—Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2021
The radical left, though, has always been violently anticlerical.
—Dominic Green, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2020
Though witches have most often been treated throughout history as evil in both fiction and in real life, sentiments began to change in the 19th century as anticlerical, individualist values took hold across Europe.
—Pam Grossman, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Anticlerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticlerical. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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