anticlerical
/ˌæntiˈklɛrɪkəl/
adjective
- Opposed to the influence or power of the clergy (religious leaders) in politics and public life.
- The anticlerical movement in 19th-century France sought to reduce the church's role in government.
- The newspaper published an anticlerical editorial criticizing the church's involvement in education.
- His anticlerical views made him unpopular in the deeply religious community.
Synonyms
Antonyms
noun
- A person who opposes the influence or power of the clergy in politics and public life.
- Many anticlericals joined the protest to demand separation of church and state.
- The debate between anticlericals and religious conservatives grew heated during the election.
- As an anticlerical, she argued that religious leaders should not hold political office.