Meaning & use
secular rulers
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Meanings
nounplural
Kings, presidents, or other leaders who govern a state as ordinary political leaders, not as religious figures.
Grammar: Always plural in this phrase; use the singular 'secular ruler' for one person.
Patterns
- a secular ruler of a country
- the country's secular rulers
The revolution replaced religious authorities with secular rulers chosen by parliament.
In that period, secular rulers often clashed with the church over taxes and land.
nounplural
Leaders who keep religion separate from the way they govern.
Grammar: Plural noun phrase; it describes a group of leaders, so it takes a plural verb.
Patterns
- secular rulers who separate religion and state
These secular rulers refused to let religious law decide court cases.
She studied how secular rulers in early modern Europe managed religious minorities.
Word forms
| singular | secular ruler |
|---|
Common combinations
- a secular ruler
- A secular ruler governs without claiming divine authority.
- secular rulers of the state
- The secular rulers of the state were elected, not appointed by the church.
- replace religious with secular rulers
- The uprising replaced religious leaders with secular rulers.
- a conflict between secular rulers and the church
- Historians describe a long conflict between secular rulers and the church.
Synonyms and how they differ
- civil authorities
- Refers to government bodies rather than individual leaders, so it is broader and less personal than 'secular rulers'.
- lay leaders
- Emphasizes that the leaders are not clergy, but it can also mean non-experts in any field, so it is less precise here.
Opposites
Word family
- secularism noun
- The belief that religion should not control government or public life.
- secular adjective
- Not connected with religion; the base adjective of this phrase.
- secularize verb
- To make something, such as a school or state, no longer controlled by religion.
Commonly confused: secular rulers or secular ruler?
secular rulers vs secular ruler
The same idea in the singular; use 'secular rulers' only when you mean more than one leader.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'secular rulers' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Secular rulers' is a plural noun phrase meaning non-religious political leaders, so it fits the elected leaders in option 0. Option 1 describes priests, option 2 uses 'a' with a plural noun, and option 3 uses a singular verb with a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “secular rulers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.