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
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
Unlike his predecessor, who was admired by conservatives for railing against secular trends, Francis sought to modernize the church.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023
These data imply to me that the secular are getting idiocratic faster than the fundamentalists.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
See All Example Sentences for secular
Adjective
But Francis, who found admirers in secular spheres as well as in Catholic circles, reshaped views of the church, and was seen by many as a leader of humanitarian force.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
Unlike his predecessor, who was admired by conservatives for railing against secular trends, Francis sought to modernize the church.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
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
These data imply to me that the secular are getting idiocratic faster than the fundamentalists.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
See All Example Sentences for secular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secular
Adjective
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The camerlengo also administers the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See until a new pope is chosen.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
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Unlike image or text generation, music operates within strict temporal and structural constraints.—
Rowan Briggs,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ludacris praises Miller for his affable personality and his ability to explain things in layman’s terms.—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
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In layman’s terms, this means that DEB uses plant sugars and natural enzymes to create biobased materials (such as biopolymers) in eco-friendly conditions.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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By contrast, most nonreligious people accept the possibility of spontaneous remissions, inexplicable recoveries, and the rest of the medical mysteries that the Church calls healing miracles.—
Emily Harnett,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
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Like the nonreligious resolutions, these tended to be all about me, my worshiping and my praying.—
Judy Knotts,
Austin American-Statesman,
9 Apr. 2024
Noun
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The layperson tends to assume that a precise and fully calculable means exists to produce a mental health diagnosis to an ironclad nth degree.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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To the layperson, this wall would appear essentially blank and completely devoid of hand or footholds.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside Online,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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