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
Mike Woodruff, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
The protesters are calling for the return of Gyanendra Shah, the last royal ruler of Nepal before the monarchy was dissolved in 2008 in favor of a secular republic.
—Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023
These data imply to me that the secular are getting idiocratic faster than the fundamentalists.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
See All Example Sentences for secular
Adjective
The secular mindset that emerged from the Enlightenment — the belief that religion would fade while science delivered heaven on earth — has failed.
—Mike Woodruff, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
The protesters are calling for the return of Gyanendra Shah, the last royal ruler of Nepal before the monarchy was dissolved in 2008 in favor of a secular republic.
—Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
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
These data imply to me that the secular are getting idiocratic faster than the fundamentalists.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
See All Example Sentences for secular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secular
Adjective
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Bill Murray got emotional talking about his old pal Bruce Willis, who has been battling frontal temporal dementia and aphasia for the past several years.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
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There are several astronomical functions, but the most entertaining one is the temporal tracking of celestial observations.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In layman’s terms, this is a Champions League for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.—
Tim Spiers,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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The remaining monks and a layman were rescued and were taken to the hospital.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The following year, city and state education officials determined that 18 Hasidic yeshivas were not providing a basic nonreligious education.—
Eliza Shapiro,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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Those of us who are religious must stand with our religious and nonreligious neighbors to have the moral imagination to cast visions for a world where political solutions are our friends and companion — not violence.—
Austin American-Statesman,
Austin American-Statesman,
6 Mar. 2024
Noun
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With minimal time and a layperson’s knowledge of accounting and investing, many people would welcome new, more sophisticated technology tools to help smooth essential transactions and facilitate smarter financial decisions.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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For the layperson, tell me what remastering does, and will people notice a difference in this new version?—
Katherine Turman,
SPIN,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secular. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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