Lay
Lay adjective - Characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy.
Usage example: the lay ministry
Secular is a synonym for lay in property topic. In some cases you can use "Secular" instead the word "Lay" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like worldly, amateur, sacred, nonclerical. popular alternative
Secular
Secular adjective - Not involving religion or religious matters.
Usage example: that's an issue for the secular authorities, not the church
Lay is a synonym for secular in worldly topic. You can use "Lay" instead the word "Secular" as an adjective or a verb, if it concerns topics such as sacred, not spiritual or religious, non-religious. popular alternative
Both words in one sentence
- Thomas Aquinas were highly admired within the Church as theologians and respected by lay writers for being as insightful as secular philosophers.
Source: Creator Worship -
This trope is averted inasmuch as Bach's cantatas aren't disguised as secular works; they're completely up-front about their religious content — sample titles (translated) include Christ lay in Death's bonds, God's time is the best time of all and Praise the Lord, the mighty king of honour.
Source: Creator / Johann Sebastian Bach - They had lay servants to do the torture, and as for the executions, the Inquisition only sentenced the guilty "to be relaxed to the secular arm", i.e., handed to civilian authorities, who then executed them.
Source: Loophole Abuse / Real Life
Cite this Source
Secular and Lay. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/lay/secular
Lay & Secular. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/lay/secular>.
Secular or Lay. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/lay/secular.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "lay" and "secular" have occurred on timeline