clerical

[ kler-i-kuhl ]
See synonyms for clerical on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks: a clerical job.

  2. doing the work of a clerk or clerks: a clerical assistant;a clerical staff.

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy: clerical garb.

  2. advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc.: a clerical party.

noun
  1. a cleric.

  2. clericals, Informal. clerical garments.

  1. a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

  2. a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

  3. Also called clerical error. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

Origin of clerical

1
1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 for def. 3; late Middle English <Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric(us) cleric + -ālis-al1

Other words from clerical

  • cler·i·cal·i·ty, noun
  • cler·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • in·ter·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • non·cler·i·cal, adjective, noun
  • non·cler·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • pre·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • pro·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • pseu·do·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • pseu·do·cler·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-cler·i·cal, adjective
  • qua·si-cler·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • sem·i·cler·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • un·cler·i·cal, adjective
  • un·cler·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use clerical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clerical

clerical

/ (ˈklɛrɪkəl) /


adjective
  1. relating to or associated with the clergy: clerical dress

  2. of or relating to office clerks or their work: a clerical error

  1. supporting or advocating clericalism

Derived forms of clerical

  • clerically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012