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
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
Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Its followers, estimated to be in the millions in America, hold supernatural beliefs and goals of transforming secular society.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for secular
Adjective
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
Noun
Religious organizations are not required to pay such taxes, but the state found that the charity's work was too secular in nature to warrant a similar exemption.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Its followers, estimated to be in the millions in America, hold supernatural beliefs and goals of transforming secular society.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for secular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secular
Adjective
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For Lyell, the material and the organic worlds belong to categorically distinct temporal orders.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
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While scholars like Resnik, Hosseini, Friesen, Floridi and Lin have proposed meaningful reforms, such as ethical AI education, diverse oversight and explainability principles, few focus on the evolving temporal relationship between humans and algorithms.—
Taposh Roy,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
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The immaculate print appeared to this layman’s eye to look about as sharp as contemporary digital Imax, but with the celluloid origins and print adding additional richness.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2025
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The Papal Gentlemen—laymen who attend to the Pope’s private needs and aid in his displays of hospitality and diplomacy—acted as pallbearers in black suits, carrying the unadorned wooden casket that held Francis’s body.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On a range of other views of government, political parties, and ideology in general, what’s happening with nonreligious young people is also happening among believers.—
Christian Paz,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
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From a nonreligious perspective, the sense of reverent occasion is palpable, rippling out from Rome.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Living in Colorado gave the family the option to explore the hemp, at the time defined as marijuana and a schedule I substance that couldn't be studied or accessed by a layperson.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
12 June 2025
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The problem, especially for the layperson, is that the AI generated responses sound so good, that they are taken at face value.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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