What does secularist mean?
A secularist is someone who believes that religion should be separated from government, public education, and other civic institutions, or who otherwise regards religion as a private matter rather than a basis for public policy. The word can also refer to an unbeliever, especially in older usage, but the two ideas are not identical: an atheist denies the existence of God, whereas a secularist may be primarily concerned with keeping religious authority out of public decisions. In British and American English, secularist commonly describes advocates of secularism, including people who support religious freedom, a secular state, or a nonreligious public sphere. The term is especially common in discussions of schools, law, politics, and religion, where it signals a commitment to institutional neutrality rather than a simple personal rejection of faith.
nounA secularist is a person who supports the separation of religion from public institutions and civic life. The term may also refer to someone who rejects religious belief or regards religion as a private rather than a public concern.
- A person who supports the separation of religion from government and public institutions.
- A person who rejects religious belief or views religion as a private matter rather than a public or civic responsibility.
"The coalition included secularists who wanted religious institutions to remain independent of government."
"The school debated a proposal made by several secularists to remove religious instruction from the curriculum."
"As a secularist, she believed that religious communities should be free to govern themselves without state interference."
The regular plural is formed by adding -s.
"The conference brought together secularists from several countries."
A secularist is not necessarily an atheist: the central issue is where religion belongs in public life, not simply what someone believes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does secularist come from?
The word comes from secular, which was borrowed into English from French séculier, ultimately from Latin saecularis, a term associated with saeculum, meaning a generation, age, or the world. Latin saecularis originally referred to things belonging to an age or the world rather than to the church. In the 19th century, secular became associated with worldly or nonreligious matters, and secularist was formed with the suffix -ist to denote a person supporting that position.
Related word forms
How secularist is actually used
In contemporary usage, secularist most often means someone who supports secularism and the separation of religion and public institutions. It can also be used more broadly for an unbeliever or someone who regards religion as a private matter, but that older usage is less precise. The word is sometimes used in debates about education, law, and government, where neutrality between religious and nonreligious positions is central.
Easily confused with secularist
A secularist is a person or supporter of secularism, whereas secular is an adjective meaning concerned with worldly rather than specifically religious matters.
An atheist does not believe in the existence of God, while a secularist primarily advocates the separation of religion and public life and need not reject religious belief personally.