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
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
Its Ten-Point Plan calls for a secular democratic republic, a non-nuclear Iran, gender equality, separation of religion and state, a free-market economy, peaceful coexistence with the world, and recognition of the rights of Iran’s diverse nationalities within a unified country.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 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
Tobolowsky previously rejected motions from other Gateway elders, ruling that the suit was not a religious issue and could be handled in secular court.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
Its Ten-Point Plan calls for a secular democratic republic, a non-nuclear Iran, gender equality, separation of religion and state, a free-market economy, peaceful coexistence with the world, and recognition of the rights of Iran’s diverse nationalities within a unified country.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 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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In the Paris Club, a similar power differential is reflected in the spatial and temporal arrangement of the procedures, which borders on the theatrical.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
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Traditional microscopy methods often lack either the spatial or temporal resolution needed to capture such phenomena.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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From my layman’s perspective, this seemed promising, plus the attorney seemed invested.—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 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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Driver and scientific studies say the benefits are real, but what about the layperson?—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
2 Mar. 2026
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Moreover, the dashboard itself is very difficult for parents and other laypersons to understand.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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