What does secularly mean?
Secularly means in a manner connected with the world rather than religion, or with temporal and civic affairs rather than ecclesiastical authority. The adverb is especially associated with historical and religious studies, where writers distinguish a secular interpretation of an institution, practice, or event from a religious one. Its use does not necessarily imply hostility toward religion; it can simply indicate that a subject is being considered outside religious doctrine or practice. The older sense, connected with worldly or temporal matters, also occurs in formal writing. Secularly is relatively uncommon in everyday speech because most situations require the more readily understood adjective secular or the broader adverb nonreligiously. The word remains useful in discussing the historical development and changing public roles of institutions, symbols, and ceremonies.
adverbIn a manner relating to the world or to matters outside religion. It can also mean with reference to secular, as opposed to ecclesiastical, authority.
- In relation to worldly or nonreligious matters, as distinct from religious or ecclesiastical matters.
"The ancient monument was regarded secularly rather than as an object of religious devotion."
"The building is used both as a place of worship and as a secularly designed civic hall."
"Historians have traditionally interpreted the ceremony secularly, focusing on its political rather than religious functions."
What began as a reference to the secular world eventually came to mean the opposite of religious — a shift from time and earthly life to faith and the sacred.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does secularly come from?
The word ultimately comes through Middle English from Latin secularis, an adjective derived from saeculum, meaning an age, lifetime, generation, or world. In Latin, the term could refer broadly to worldly or temporal matters. In medieval English, it came to mean ordinary or worldly, and later acquired its more familiar religious contrast: nonreligious as opposed to ecclesiastical. The modern adverb was formed directly from the adjective secular.
Related word forms
How secularly is actually used
The adverb is less common than the adjective and is most often found in formal, historical, legal, or religious studies.