in-group

noun

1
: a group with which one feels a sense of solidarity or community of interests compare out-group
2
: clique

Examples of in-group in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To be sure, in-group love and out-group hatred are logically interconnected: the prospect of a common threat can bring us together, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 In any large organization, there are always smaller cliques, in-groups and out-groups. Francine Russo, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2024 Conversely, when people from an in-group spend time with those from an out-group, dislike or mistrust declines. Isabel Sawhill, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2021 When revised data support the in-group’s political policies, members of the out-group sometime allege that the numbers were cooked for partisan advantage. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 Moreover, recent research has revealed that rural Americans have developed a sense of obligation that is more focused on local in-groups, in contrast with a more universalistic sense of moral obligation found among urban dwellers. Jonathan Rodden, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2020 Studies show that nearly all bosses have—or are seen to have—in-groups and out-groups. Ginka Toegel jean-Louis Barsoux, Harvard Business Review, 1 July 2024 Regardless of race and gender, kids struggled to prioritize what was right and just over their prejudices and in-groups. Melanie Killen, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024 Watching Santosh learn the ropes of her local police station is amusing at first, but Goswami sells its increasing complications through silent reaction shots as her character becomes slowly absorbed by this power structure, its in-group language, its secrets and its casual corruption. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of in-group was in 1907

Dictionary Entries Near in-group

Cite this Entry

“In-group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in-group. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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