laical

variants or laic
Definition of laicalnext

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laical
Adjective
  • This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • And even the irreligious Bill de Blasio would join parishioners at the cathedral.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • And naturally, Anthony Bourdain made his own pilgrimage, offering his approval like a secular blessing.
    Jimmy Jellinek, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The other is completely secular—thoroughly of this age, thoroughly of this world.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • There is Muslim representation on the group's advisory board of lay leaders.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews.
    Jacqui Frost, The Conversation, 11 Jan. 2024
Adjective
  • For decades, the Georgia Guidestones were nothing more than kitschy roadside Americana – a curiosity people visited for fun, intrigue, and the occasional pagan ritual.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The area Life is decidedly unhurried in this part of the world, where the sunkissed monte landscape is punctuated by cork, olive, and oak trees, wild horses frolic in meadows, and huge granite dolmens hint at a pagan past.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Happy Easter to all who celebrate and happy Hacks return for the heathens among us worshipping at Deborah Vance’s godless altar — the shrine piling up outside her mansion full of flowers and plush Diet Cokes.
    Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
  • His stories, particularly the later ones, center around the idea that the Universe is a godless cosmos that is entirely indifferent to humanity.
    Big Think, Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Known for his sense of style and quiet demure, Flemister started dancing at age 5, first at Valley Kingdom Ministries International, a nondenominational church in Oak Forest, and then moving onto hip-hop at age 8 with Final Phaze and then Empiire Dance Company.
    Laura Turbay, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Leaders of Grove City College, a small nondenominational Christian college in rural Pennsylvania, were concerned that this law would bring unwanted government oversight.
    Ryan Creps, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The Hungarian state paid for most of it and required Rumbach to also operate as a nonsectarian cultural venue, which is why Fischer performs here.
    Joshua Levine, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The education department’s letter also noted that the school has advertised itself as a religious school, but the Colorado Constitution requires public schools to be nonsectarian.
    Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 19 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laical. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster