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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

secular

Adjective

IPA /ˈsekjələ(r)/

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Meaning in plain English

Concerned with ordinary life rather than religion.

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Pronunciation

secular/ˈsekjələ(r)/

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  1. A song about religious worship

  2. A song about an ordinary journey

The second song is secular because its subject is unrelated to religion.

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  1. The concert included both religious songs and secular music.
  2. The students compared religious and secular paintings from the same period.

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The concert included both religious songs and ________ music.
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secular — Concerned with ordinary life rather than religion.

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Concerned with ordinary life rather than religion.

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Word origin

From Latin saecularis, related to saeculum, an age or generation, later associated with worldly life.

Did you know?

Secular can describe music, institutions, education or a society.

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secular

/ˈsekjələ(r)/ (Adjective)

“Secular means non-religious in this use; it does not automatically mean hostile to religion.”

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