Secretarial Definition & Meaning

  • Definition
  • Other Word Forms
  • Etymology
  • Examples
  • secretarial American [sek-ri-tair-ee-uhl] / ˌsɛk rɪˈtɛər i əl /

    adjective

    1. noting, of, or pertaining to a secretary or a secretary's skills and work.

      a secretarial school.

    Other Word Forms

    • nonsecretarial adjective
    • subsecretarial adjective
    • unsecretarial adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of secretarial

    First recorded in 1795–1805; secretary + -al 1

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    The donations, from five trade unions and staff associations, paid for "external secretarial support" for the Justice Unions Parliamentary group chaired by the MP.

    From BBC

    Logo link to BBC

    At first Mary Richards applies for a secretarial position at Minneapolis’s news station WJM but ends up being an associate producer.

    From Salon

    Logo link to Salon

    That turned into an offer of secretarial work, and then a far more adventurous gig as an observer.

    From Salon

    Logo link to Salon

    She left home at 17 to work in the theater, temping at secretarial jobs while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

    From Los Angeles Times

    Logo link to Los Angeles Times

    Kath left school at the age of 14 and attended commercial college before beginning secretarial work.

    From BBC

    Logo link to BBC

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

    Tag » How Do You Spell Secretary