as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters
that's an issue for the secular authorities, not the church
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Recent Examples of secular
Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
A student’s religious viewpoint must be treated the same way as a student’s secular viewpoint, and district officials are barred from discriminating against a student based on their religious views.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Adjective
Although the Shah never officially abdicated, the Iranian population voted in a national referendum on April 1 to become an Islamic republic and to make Khomeini the country's supreme leader, effectively replacing the Shah's secular authoritarian monarchy with an anti-Western theocracy.
—Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
A student’s religious viewpoint must be treated the same way as a student’s secular viewpoint, and district officials are barred from discriminating against a student based on their religious views.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Feb. 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
Adjective
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When choosing trees for year-long interest, consider both long-term and temporal sources of color and texture, and think about how these combine with other elements.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
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The linocut medium itself performs this temporal multiplicity.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The pipeline will provide up to 185,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas, an industry term that Fore admitted was difficult to explain for laymen.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After her death, Begel found comfort in the Catholic faith after years of being nonreligious.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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In Forrest County, Mississippi, a lawsuit allowed inmates to receive nonreligious books.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Moreover, the dashboard itself is very difficult for parents and other laypersons to understand.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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This reasonableness standard is what a city, state, or federal agency would assess when deciding whether to indict an agent for any criminal activity, and it’s evaluated from the perspective of a law enforcement official, not a layperson, German explains.—
Lila Hassan,
Wired News,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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