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
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
Peter Smith, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
The Quiet Benefit of Spirituality Spirituality, long relegated to the personal or private sphere, is increasingly being recognized as a cornerstone of flourishing—even in secular societies.
—Robert B. Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 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
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
Noun
Republicans have drawn strong support from conservative white and Latino evangelicals and other white Christians; Democrats have a more diverse coalition of minority racial and religious groups and secular voters.
—Peter Smith, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
The Quiet Benefit of Spirituality Spirituality, long relegated to the personal or private sphere, is increasingly being recognized as a cornerstone of flourishing—even in secular societies.
—Robert B. Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secular
Adjective
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Context requires holding multiple layers of reality simultaneously—the organizational politics, cultural dynamics, personal histories, and temporal factors that shape every interaction.—
Michael Hudson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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This pair of daring temporal adventurers makes hops, skips, and jumps along the time stream with Sam popping up randomly into different bodies throughout history.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In layman’s speak, the BCI , or brain-computer interface, allows Arbaugh to control a computer with his mind.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
23 Aug. 2025
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In layman’s terms: Make your business too real to ignore.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Associated Press What To Know The plaintiffs include Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist and nonreligious families who have children in public schools.—
Jenna Sundel
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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The first is whether communal prayer over a loudspeaker before a state athletic association game is indeed government speech – especially because officials permitted a wide array of nonreligious private speech over the loudspeaker.—
Charles J. Russo,
The Conversation,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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By now, even the layperson understands that artificial intelligence data is a garbage-in-garbage-out conundrum.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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In layperson’s terms, a will is a legal document that dictates where your assets will be distributed upon your death.—
Ronny Maye,
Essence,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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