Definitions for Secular
ˈsɛk yə lərsec·u·lar

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.1 / 10 votes

1. layman, layperson, secularadjective

   someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person

2. secularadjective

   of or relating to the doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations

3. worldly, secular, temporaladjective

   characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world

   "worldly goods and advancement"; "temporal possessions of the church"

4. profane, secularadjective

   not concerned with or devoted to religion

   "sacred and profane music"; "secular drama"; "secular architecture", "children being brought up in an entirely profane environment"

5. secularadjective

   of or relating to clergy not bound by monastic vows

   "the secular clergy"

6. laic, lay, secularadjective

   characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy

   "set his collar in laic rather than clerical position"; "the lay ministry"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. secularadjective

   Not specifically religious.

2. secularadjective

   Temporal; something that is worldly or otherwise not based on something timeless.

3. secularadjective

   Not bound by the vows of a monastic order.

   secular clergy in Catholicism

4. secularadjective

   Happening once in an age or century.

   The secular games of ancient Rome were held to mark the end of a saeculum and the beginning of the next.

5. secularadjective

   Continuing over a long period of time, long-term.

6. secularadjective

   Of or pertaining to long-term non-periodic irregularities, especially in planetary motion.

7. secularadjective

   Unperturbed over time.

8. Etymology: saecularis, from saeculum

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SECULARadjective

   Etymology: secularis, Latin; seculier, French.

   1. Not spiritual; relating to affairs of the present world; not holy; worldly.

   This in every several man’s actions of common life, appertaineth unto moral; in publick and politick secular affairs, unto civil wisdom. Richard Hooker.

   Then shall they seek t’ avail themselves of names,
   Places, and titles; and with these to join
   Secular pow’r, though feigning still to act
   By spiritual. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   2. [In the church of Rome.] Not bound by monastick rules.

   Those northern nations easily embraced the religion of those they subdued, and by their devotion gave great authority and reverence, and thereby ease to the clergy both secular and regular. William Temple.

   In France vast numbers of ecclesiasticks, secular and religious, live upon the labours of others. Addison.

   3. [ Seculaire, Fr.] Happening or coming once in a secle or century.

   The secular year was kept but once in a century. Addison.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. secular

   Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin saeculum, "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negatively or positively, may be considered secular. Linguistically, a process by which anything becomes secular is named secularization, though the term is mainly reserved for the secularization of society; and any concept or ideology promoting the secular may be termed secularism, a term generally applied to the ideology dictating no religious influence on the public sphere.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Secularadjective

   coming or observed once in an age or a century

2. Secularadjective

   pertaining to an age, or the progress of ages, or to a long period of time; accomplished in a long progress of time; as, secular inequality; the secular refrigeration of the globe

3. Secularadjective

   of or pertaining to this present world, or to things not spiritual or holy; relating to temporal as distinguished from eternal interests; not immediately or primarily respecting the soul, but the body; worldly

4. Secularadjective

   not regular; not bound by monastic vows or rules; not confined to a monastery, or subject to the rules of a religious community; as, a secular priest

5. Secularadjective

   belonging to the laity; lay; not clerical

6. Secularnoun

   a secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules

7. Secularnoun

   a church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir

8. Secularnoun

   a layman, as distinguished from a clergyman

9. Etymology: [OE. secular, seculer. L. saecularis, fr. saeculum a race, generation, age, the times, the world; perhaps akin to E. soul: cf. F. sculier.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Secular

   sek′ū-lar, adj. pertaining to an age or generation: coming or observed only once in a century: permanent: lay or civil, as opposed to clerical: (geol.) gradually becoming appreciable in the course of ages: pertaining to the present world, or to things not spiritual: not bound by monastic rules.—n. a layman: an ecclesiastic, as a parish priest, not bound by monastic rules.—n. Secularisa′tion, the state of being secularised.—v.t. Sec′ularise, to make secular: to convert from spiritual to common use.—ns. Sec′ularism; Sec′ularist, one who, discarding religious belief and worship, applies himself exclusively to the things of this life: one who holds that education should be apart from religion; Secular′ity, state of being secular or worldly: worldliness.—adv. Sec′ularly.—n. Sec′ularness. [L. secularis—seculum, an age, a generation.]

Anagrams for Secular »

1. recusal

How to pronounce Secular?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Secular in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Secular in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Secular in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of Secular in a Sentence

1. Warburg Pincus ':

   The secular shift in the balance of power between limited partners and general partners has begun to make the industry more transparent about how firms make money, which is a good thing in itself.

2. William Barr:

   One of the ironies, as some have observed, is that the secular project has itself become a religion, pursued with religious fervor. It is taking on all the trappings of a religion – including inquisitions and excommunication. Those who defy the creed risk a figurative burning at the stake – social, educational, and professional ostracism and exclusion waged through lawsuits and savage social media campaigns.

3. Jessica Levinson:

   Make no mistake, the current court is conservative and the case could be part of a steady march toward interpreting the Free Exercise Clause to require states to treat some secular and religious institutions as equally deserving of public funds church, meet a very welcoming state.

4. Dr Arnold:

   Thus, for some people, believing in apocalypse-like prophecies may help with this worry and anxiety by giving them something to focus on and a goal to strive toward, for religious prophecies this goal may involve positioning yourself to be one of the chosen ‘saved’ on the day the world ends, whereas for secular prophecies (such as Y2K) the goal may be focused on preparing to survive the potentially harsh conditions created by a catastrophic event.

5. Zeng Cun:

   We have to take strides forward as a secular, modern country, but in some places in Kashgar from last year there are face veils and head coverings. This is equivalent to retreating back over the modern, secular strides we have taken. This is a cultural reverse.

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