non-religious
Outside of faith
Non-religious describes people, activities, or institutions not connected to religion.
A non-religious person may be atheist, agnostic, or simply indifferent to spiritual matters.
Non-religious schools operate without religious affiliation.
The term is neutral—it describes absence rather than opposition: The ceremony was non-religious but still meaningful.
Nonreligious, worldly
- civilMinimally polite
- civicPertaining to community affairs
- governmentalOf or relating to authority
- stateCondition or mode
public · lay · temporal · worldly · mundane · societal · national · official
Ethics-focused secular philosopher
- humanismPhilosophy prioritizing earthly reason
- freethinkerRejects doctrine for reason
- rationalistOne guided by reason
- naturalistStudent of nature
materialist · empiricist · secularist · positivist · ethical · moral · human-centered · freethought
Flexible across platforms
- uncertainNot firmly known
- undecidedNot having chosen
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- open-mindedReceptive to different ideas
uncommitted · noncommittal · doubt · skeptical · unsure · seeking · exploring · ambivalent
Rejection of deities
- nonbelieverOne lacking religious faith
- disbelieverOne who denies truth
- godlessLacking belief in deities
- antitheistOne opposing belief in deities
unbelief · faithless · infidel · heathen · pagan · heretic · apostate · rejection
Awareness of the present
- meditationFocused attention practice
- holisticAddressing interconnected wholes
- metaphysicalBeyond the material realm
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
consciousness · awakening · enlightenment · inner-peace · zen · yoga · energy · chakras
secular
Nonreligious, worldly
- civilMinimally polite
- civicPertaining to community affairs
- governmentalOf or relating to authority
state · public · lay · temporal · worldly · mundane · societal · national · official · administrative
humanist
Ethics-focused secular philosopher
- humanismPhilosophy prioritizing earthly reason
- freethinkerRejects doctrine for reason
- rationalistOne guided by reason
naturalist · materialist · empiricist · secularist · positivist · ethical · moral · human-centered · freethought · skeptic
agnostic
Flexible across platforms
- uncertainNot firmly known
- undecidedNot having chosen
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
open-minded · uncommitted · noncommittal · doubt · skeptical · unsure · seeking · exploring · ambivalent · indifferent
atheism
Rejection of deities
- nonbelieverOne lacking religious faith
- disbelieverOne who denies truth
- godlessLacking belief in deities
antitheist · unbelief · faithless · infidel · heathen · pagan · heretic · apostate · rejection · denial
mindfulness
Awareness of the present
- meditationFocused attention practice
- holisticAddressing interconnected wholes
- metaphysicalBeyond the material realm
transcendence · consciousness · awakening · enlightenment · inner-peace · zen · yoga · energy · chakras · karma
non-religioussacred
Worthy of reverence
ecclesiastical · church-affiliated · faith-based · theocratic · holy