separation of church and state
4 synonyms and 2 antonyms for separation of church and state, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun phrase — The principle that government and organised religion should operate independently: the state neither establishes nor funds a religion nor interferes in worship, and religious bodies hold no formal governing power.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
theocracy
established church
How to use separation of church and state
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
breach the separation of church and state
strict separation of church and state
wall of separation
Neutral and formal; standard in legal, political and journalistic writing.
Frequently asked questions
Is separation of church and state in the US Constitution?
Not as a phrase. The Constitution's First Amendment bars Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise, and courts have long read that as requiring separation. The wall of separation wording comes from Thomas Jefferson's later letter to the Danbury Baptists, not the text itself.
What is the difference between separation of church and state and secularism?
Separation of church and state is the specific institutional arrangement keeping government and religion apart. Secularism is the broader outlook that public life should be conducted on non-religious grounds, which some secularists extend well beyond what separation alone requires.
Does the United Kingdom have separation of church and state?
No. The Church of England is established, the monarch is its Supreme Governor, and bishops sit in the House of Lords. Britain is religiously plural in practice but not formally separated.
