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
Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
And, truthfully, nothing on Fire of God’s Love could ever be mistaken for secular music.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 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
And rather than Christians leavening the secular right-wing movements, those movements are prying Christianity further and further away from the ethic and teachings of Jesus.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
And, truthfully, nothing on Fire of God’s Love could ever be mistaken for secular music.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 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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It’s shaped around facial proportions, temporal corners, and the way hair naturally grows.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
-
This reflects differences in temporal orientation and relational maintenance, not necessarily effort or loyalty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That's very hard to explain for the layman or the professional.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
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So these two feel like the perfect guides to help a layman understand the Musk phenomenon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Kwanzaa is a nonreligious, secular holiday that is mainly celebrated in North America and the Caribbean.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Dec. 2025
-
Many children raised by devout parents and teachers still embrace their parents’ beliefs, but ever-fewer young people raised in less committed or entirely nonreligious families and schools espouse religious faith.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is consistent with real-world statistics, where people of color and women who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital are less likely to receive CPR from a layperson.—
Beth Hoffman,
The Conversation,
12 Jan. 2026
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Both Boyd and Sereno say that some of the terminology in their field could confuse a layperson.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
1 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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