relating to or associated with the clergy: clerical dress of or relating to office clerks or their work: a clerical error supporting or advocating clericalism
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
cler•i•cal /ˈklɛrɪkəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- of, relating to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk: made a clerical error in the report.
- doing the work of a clerk:an increase in our clerical staff.
- Religionof, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a cleric:clerical clothes.
cler•i•cal
(kler′i kəl),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
cler′i•cal′i•ty, n.
cler′i•cal•ly, adv.
- of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks:a clerical job.
- doing the work of a clerk or clerks:a clerical assistant; a clerical staff.
- Religionof, pertaining to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy:clerical garb.
- Religionadvocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc.:a clerical party.
n.
- Religiona cleric.
- Religion, Informal Terms clericals, [Informal.]clerical garments.
- Religiona person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.
- a person who does clerical work;
office worker;
clerk. - Also called cler′ical er′ror. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.
- Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent. to clēric(us) cleric + -ālis -al1
- 1425–75 for sense "learned''; 1585–95 for def. 3; late Middle English
cler′i•cal•ly, adv.
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