French Conversation · Level 80
60 words
French word
laïcité
Pronunciation
IPA/laisite/
Meaning
- feminine nounsecularism
Example
La laïcité garantit la neutralité de l'État.
Secularism guarantees the neutrality of the state.
More examples
La laïcité permet la liberté de conscience pour tous.
Secularism allows freedom of conscience for everyone.
Core concept
A neutral public framework that protects different convictions by keeping civic rights independent of religious affiliation.
Common phrases
la laïcité de l'État
the state's secularism
principe de laïcité
principle of secularism
respect de la laïcité
respect for secularism
Similar words
sécularisme: The view that religion's influence should be removed from politics and public institutions.
neutralité: An attitude or policy that shows no bias toward any religion or belief.
séparation: The institutional separation of church and state.
laïcisme: A stance seeking to strongly exclude religion from public life and influence.
Definition in French
Principe selon lequel la sphère publique reste neutre face aux religions pour garantir la liberté de conscience et l'égalité civique.
Word origin
The noun laïcité was formed from laïque by adding -ité, and laïque descends through Latin laicus from Greek laikos; the present institutional meaning developed in modern France.
Usage tips
- English secularism overlaps with laïcité but does not always carry the same specifically French focus on public neutrality and freedom of conscience.
Other meanings
- separation of church and statenoun
- secularitynoun
Opposites
- cléricalismeclericalismnoun
- confessionnalismeconfessionalismnoun
Related words
- laïquesecularadjective
- laïcisersecularizeverb
- laïcisationsecularizationnoun