sectarian

1 of 2

adjective

sec·​tar·​i·​an sek-ˈter-ē-ən 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect or sectarian

2

: limited in character or scope : parochial

sectarianism

sek-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

noun

sectarian

2 of 2

noun

1

: an adherent of a sect

2

: a narrow or bigoted person

Synonyms

Adjective

• illiberal
• insular
• Lilliputian
• little
• narrow
• narrow-minded
• parochial
• petty
• picayune
• provincial
• small
• small-minded

Noun

• bigot
• dogmatist
• dogmatizer
• partisan
• partizan

Examples of sectarian in a Sentence

Adjective

The country was split along sectarian lines.

there are people on both the left and the right who have staked out unyielding sectarian positions in this debate

Noun

charged that the work of Congress has been stymied by sectarians who are indifferent to reason and intolerant of compromise

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ireland’s prime minister, for example, specifically cited his country’s lengthy and traumatic struggle for independence from Britain, and the shadow of the decades-long spasm of sectarian violence known as the Troubles, which subsided with the Good Friday peace accords in 1998. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024

The two federal lawsuits are part of a recent wave of such cases nationwide, encouraged by a Supreme Court seen as friendly to them California has long had a hard ban preventing public school funding from going toward any sectarian instruction or sectarian schools. —Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sectarian

1 of 2 adjective

sec·​tar·​i·​an sek-ˈter-ē-ən 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect or sectarian

2

: not willing to consider other points of view

a sectarian mind

sectarianism

-ē-ə-ˌniz-əm 

noun

sectarian

2 of 2 noun

1

: a member of a sect

2

: a person who won't consider the ideas or opinions of others