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Meaning & use

non-clerical

adjective·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/ˌnɒn ˈklerɪkl/
US/ˌnɑːn ˈklerɪkl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Not involving routine office paperwork such as filing, typing or record keeping, and often describing other kinds of jobs or staff.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun: non-clerical staff.

    Patterns

    • non-clerical staff
    • non-clerical work

    The hospital employs both clerical and non-clerical staff.

    Her new job is non-clerical and involves a lot of travel.

    Non-clerical roles at the company include drivers and technicians.

  2. adjectivebefore a nounreligion

    Not belonging to the clergy, meaning not ordained as a priest, minister or similar religious leader.

    Grammar: Often used in church contexts: a non-clerical member.

    Patterns

    • non-clerical member

    Non-clerical members of the church helped organize the festival.

    The committee included clergy and several non-clerical volunteers.

    He served as a non-clerical adviser to the bishop.

Common combinations

non-clerical staff
Non-clerical staff must wear safety boots.
non-clerical position
She applied for a non-clerical position in the warehouse.
non-clerical duties
His non-clerical duties include greeting visitors.
non-clerical workers
Non-clerical workers got a separate pay scale.
non-clerical role
The charity is hiring for a non-clerical role.

Synonyms and how they differ

manual
Manual means done by hand and is narrower, because non-clerical jobs can also be technical or managerial.
lay
Lay means not ordained in religion, but it does not apply to office roles.
operational
Operational points to jobs that run day-to-day activities, while non-clerical only says what the job is not.

Opposites

clerical

Word family

clerical adjective
relating to office paperwork, or to the clergy
clerk noun
an office worker who handles records
cleric noun
a member of the clergy
clergy noun
people ordained for religious work

Commonly confused: non-clerical or clerical error?

non-clerical vs clerical error

A clerical error is a mistake in paperwork. It is not a mistake made by clergy.

Practice

The school advertised several ___ jobs, including a groundskeeper and a bus driver.

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