secular
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secular¹
- /ˈsɛkjʊlə/ UK
- /ˈsɛkjələɹ/ Canada, US
Where it comes from
From Middle English seculer, from Old French seculer, from Latin saeculāris (“of the age”), from saeculum.
adjective more secular · most secular · sæcular
-
Not specifically religious; lay or civil, as opposed to clerical.
Similar: areligious, temporal, worldly · Opposite: nonsecular, religious, sacred
-
Temporal; worldly, or otherwise not based on something timeless.
Similar: chronological · Opposite: nonsecular
-
Not bound by the vows of a religious order.
Near-synonym: nonmonastic
Similar: nonmonastic · Opposite: monastic, nonsecular, regular
-
Happening once in an age or century.
Near-synonyms: centurial, centennial
Similar: centurial, centennial · Opposite: nonsecular
-
Continuing over a long period of time.
The long-term growth in population and income accounts for most secular trends in economic phenomena.
Similar: long-term, nonsecular · Opposite: short-term, cyclical
-
Centuries-old, ancient.
The long reaches that were like one and the same reach, monotonous bends that were exactly alike, slipped past the steamer with their multitude of secular trees looking patiently after this grimy fragment of another world, the forerunner of change, of conquest, of trade, of massacres, of blessings.
Similar: plurisecular, multisecular, nonsecular
-
Relating to long-term non-periodic irregularities, especially in planetary motion or magnetic field.
Laplace (1749–1827) "saved the world" by using probability theory to estimate the parameters accurately enough to show that the drift of Jupiter was not secular after all; the observations at hand had covered only a fraction of a cycle of an oscillation with a period of about 880 years.
Opposite: nonsecular
-
Unperturbed over time.
The secular A and nonsecular B parts of hyperfine interaction for any particular frequencies ν_α and ν_β are derived from eqn.(21) by ...
Opposite: nonsecular
Similar: areligious, civil, earthly, irreligious, laicist, laicistic, mundane, nonreligious, profane, secular, temporal, unconsecrated, unsanctified, worldly · Opposite: eternal, everlasting, frequent, unpredictable, non-recurring, clerical, ecclesiastical, holy, intemporal, lay, nonprofane, nonsecular, nontemporal, religious, sanctified, spiritual, unholy, unprofane, unsecular, untemporal, unworldly
noun seculars · sæcular
- A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules. On further examination, I found the clergy, in general, persons of moderate minds and decorous manners : I include the seculars, and the regulars of both sexes
- A church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir.
- A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.
Secular²
proper noun Seculars
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: laic, profane, lay, layman, layperson, laical, secularism, neutral, outsider, secularist, non-denominational, uninitiated, unholy, long-standing, vulgar, age-old
adjective
Similar: areligious, civil, earthly, irreligious, laicist, laicistic, mundane, nonreligious, profane, secular, temporal, unconsecrated, unsanctified, worldly · Opposite: eternal, everlasting, frequent, unpredictable, non-recurring, clerical, ecclesiastical, holy, intemporal, lay, nonprofane, nonsecular, nontemporal, religious, sanctified, spiritual, unholy, unprofane, unsecular, untemporal, unworldly
Translations
Every language
adj not specifically religious
| Español | seglar, laico, mundano, secular |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 세속적 sesokjeok |
| 日本語 | 世俗的な sezokuteki na, 世俗の sezoku no, 非宗教的な hishūkyōteki na |
| 中文 | 世俗 shìsú, 凡 fán, 塵俗 /尘俗 chénsú, 非宗教 fēizōngjiāo |
| हिन्दी | पन्थनिरपेक्ष panthanirpekṣ |
| Português | secular, laico |
| Français | séculier, laïque, mondain |
| Deutsch | säkular, weltlich |
| Italiano | secolare, laico |
| Ελληνικά | κοσμικός kosmikós |
| Română | laic, secular |
| Русский | све́тский svétskij, мирско́й mirskój, секуля́рный sekuljárnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | thế tục |
| العربية | دُنْيَوِيّ dunyawiyy, عَلْمَانِيّ ʕalmāniyy |
| עברית | חול khol, חילוני khiloní |
adj temporal
| Español | seglar, secular |
|---|---|
| Português | secular |
| Français | séculier |
| Italiano | secolare |
| Ελληνικά | κοσμικός kosmikós |
adj happening once in an age or century
| Español | secular |
|---|---|
| Português | secular |
| Français | séculaire |
| Italiano | secolare, centennale |
adj astrophysics: of or pertaining to long-term non-periodic irregularities
| Português | secular |
|---|---|
| Italiano | secolare |
adj atomic physics: unperturbed over time
| Italiano | secolare |
|---|
noun secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules
| Español | seglar |
|---|
noun layman, as distinguished from a clergyman
| Italiano | secolare |
|---|
Talk about this word "secular." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/secular. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. secular. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/secular "secular." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/secular.Cite this
@misc{secular_2026,
title = {secular},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/secular},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
