as in temporal
not involving religion or religious matters
that's an issue for the secular authorities, not the church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of secular
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
And for many secular Americans, the weeks leading into spring can be a time for resetting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 13 Feb. 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
As progressive Americans have become more secular, universities have become their primary moral training ground.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
And for many secular Americans, the weeks leading into spring can be a time for resetting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 13 Feb. 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
-
For the launch colorway, a vivid graphic may initially bring to mind heat maps with its application of blue, green, yellow and red — but the choice was actually made to invoke a temporal fold, a theoretical concept of bending spacetime to move faster than the speed of light.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This temporal displacement has consequences.—
Michael Paarlberg,
The Conversation,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The pipeline will provide up to 185,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas, an industry term that Fore admitted was difficult to explain for laymen.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The laws have been challenged by families representing a variety of religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and clergy, in addition to nonreligious families.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The laws have been challenged by families representing a variety of religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism, and clergy, in addition to nonreligious families.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This reasonableness standard is what a city, state, or federal agency would assess when deciding whether to indict an agent for any criminal activity, and it’s evaluated from the perspective of a law enforcement official, not a layperson, German explains.—
Lila Hassan,
Wired News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
