Meaning & use
non-devotional
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformal
Not connected with religious worship or devotion.
Grammar: Used before a noun: non-devotional music. It can also follow a linking verb: the song is non-devotional.
Patterns
- non-devotional music
- non-devotional literature
- be non-devotional
The concert included both devotional and non-devotional songs.
She writes non-devotional poetry about nature and everyday life.
The museum displays non-devotional art from the same period.
Common combinations
- non-devotional music
- The radio station plays non-devotional music on weekday mornings.
- non-devotional literature
- His later works are non-devotional literature with moral themes.
- non-devotional context
- The prayer was moved to a non-devotional context in the film.
Synonyms and how they differ
- secular
- Secular means not connected with religion at all, especially in public life; non-devotional is narrower and simply contrasts with devotional worship.
- worldly
- Worldly often contrasts with spiritual and can suggest being concerned with material things; non-devotional is more neutral and specific to devotion.
Opposites
Word family
- devotional adjective
- Connected with religious worship or deep religious feeling.
- devotion noun
- Deep love, loyalty, or religious worship.
- devotee noun
- A person who is very interested in or devoted to something.
Commonly confused: non-devotional or devotional?
non-devotional vs devotional
Devotional means related to worship; non-devotional means the opposite. The prefix non- changes the meaning completely.
Practice
The choir performed a ______ piece that had no religious words at all.
Choose one answer.
Non-devotional fits because the piece has no religious content. Devotional would mean the opposite, devoted describes a loyal person, and devotion is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-devotional”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.