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
Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
The people’s pontiff has enlisted a certain (arguably) secular influence to make his emotional case.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 26 May 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
France might be an adamantly secular state, but its pastry shops like to flirt with religion.
—Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
The people’s pontiff has enlisted a certain (arguably) secular influence to make his emotional case.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 26 May 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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These areas included the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, parietal and temporal cortices, and the amygdala, which are involved in pain processing, emotional regulation, and cognition.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
2 June 2026
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His head sustained a small temporal fracture and a small brain bleed.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
Noun
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What may shock the layman, though, is that all three of those schools also have strong baseball programs as well.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
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Some prominent conservative Catholic laymen, like Fox News host Sean Hannity, have risen to Trump’s defense.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Florida statutes creating the charter school framework also require those schools to be nonreligious.—
Gray Rohrer,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
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Republicans vow to appeal Arkansas ruling Last year, seven Arkansas families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law requiring all public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library.—
Sara Cline,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Our dashboards should be immediately legible to a layperson.—
Ashoka,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Also, professional technicians have the training to detect the early warning signs of potential issues that a layperson may not be aware of.—
Kody Boye,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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