anticlericalism

A1N1T1I1C3L1E1R1I1C3A1L1I1S1M3

noun

The opposition to political influence of clerics.

Opposite
clericocracyproclericalism
OriginEnglish anticlerical ← Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nounanticlericalism (uncountable)

alternative anti-clericalism

  1. uncountableThe opposition to political influence of clerics.

    But contacts of this kind between a senior politician of the Republic and the Catholic Church were matters of the greatest delicacy in pre-1914 France, where anticlericalism was the default setting of the political culture.

    2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 310

    Antonyms: clericocracy, proclericalism

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe opposition to political influence of clerics.

Opposite
clericocracyproclericalism

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
  5. Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
  6. Englishanti-
  7. Englishclerical
  8. Englishanticlerical
  9. Englishanticlericalism

From anticlerical + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian антиклерикализъм
  • антиклерикализъм (antiklerikalizăm)opposition to political influence of clerics
Catalan anticlericalisme
  • anticlericalismeopposition to political influence of clerics
Czech antiklerikalismus
  • antiklerikalismusopposition to political influence of clerics
Dutch antiklerikalisme
  • antiklerikalismeopposition to political influence of clerics
Esperanto antiklerikalismo
  • antiklerikalismoopposition to political influence of clerics
Finnish antiklerikalismi
  • antiklerikalismiopposition to political influence of clerics
French anticléricalisme
  • anticléricalismeopposition to political influence of clerics
German Antiklerikalismus
  • Antiklerikalismusopposition to political influence of clerics
Hungarian antiklerikalizmus
  • antiklerikalizmusopposition to political influence of clerics
Indonesian antiklerikalisme
  • antiklerikalismeopposition to political influence of clerics
Italian anticlericalismo
  • anticlericalismoopposition to political influence of clerics
Lithuanian antiklerikalizmas
  • antiklerikalizmasopposition to political influence of clerics
Polish antyklerykalizm
  • antyklerykalizmopposition to political influence of clerics
Portuguese anticlericalismo
  • anticlericalismoopposition to political influence of clerics
Romanian anticlericalism
  • anticlericalismopposition to political influence of clerics
Russian антиклерикали́зм
  • антиклерикали́зм (antiklerikalízm)opposition to political influence of clerics
Slovak antiklerikalizmus
  • antiklerikalizmusopposition to political influence of clerics
Tagalog antiklerikalismo
  • antiklerikalismoopposition to political influence of clerics
Turkish antiklerikalizm
  • antiklerikalizmopposition to political influence of clerics
Ukrainian антиклерикалізм
  • антиклерикалізм (antyklerykalizm)opposition to political influence of clerics
Cite this entry
APA

anticlericalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anticlericalism

MLA

“anticlericalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anticlericalism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anticlericalism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anticlericalism.

Source: anticlericalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.