as in small
not broad or open in views or opinions
the parochial pastimes of the people in that rural farm town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of parochial
How can a place be at once so cosmopolitan and so parochial?
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Uniforms were only associated with parochial and private schools until the late 1980s, but public schools began piloting them as well, allowing plaid’s influence in American classrooms to spread.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
The United States would not be a normal great power, seeking parochial gains in an anarchic world.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2021
Under Jiang and Hu, bureaucrats could leverage their leaders’ sense of vulnerability to advance their own parochial interests by pressuring their bosses to adopt particular policies.
—Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for parochial 
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Uniforms were only associated with parochial and private schools until the late 1980s, but public schools began piloting them as well, allowing plaid’s influence in American classrooms to spread.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
The United States would not be a normal great power, seeking parochial gains in an anarchic world.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2021
Under Jiang and Hu, bureaucrats could leverage their leaders’ sense of vulnerability to advance their own parochial interests by pressuring their bosses to adopt particular policies.
—Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for parochial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial
Adjective
-
Shaikh said the swap is happening in the food hall's incubator section, where small businesses can get a stall and a six month lease to try out new concepts.Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
-
Black bears are the smallest of the North American bears.Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
My understanding has always been that the relic trade is loosely tolerated by the powers that be (many of whom have some pretty choice relics of their own), because one of the sneakiest ways authoritarian societies thrive is by letting their subjects get away with petty rebellions.Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
-
As our profile lays out, the record reveals Billy Wagner as a blustery, bigger-than-life figure who engaged in petty crime and coached his family to do the same.Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Soon, we were told to go to the back of the train, where MTA workers were escorting us onto the narrow cat track to the escape stairs.Gillian Telling, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
-
The narrow definition of who the competition was meant merging two competitors in a market posed a bigger risk to consumers of less choice and potentially higher prices.Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The insular island is best known for staging an annual pageant that depicts the cannibalistic murder of four English soldiers — and believe it or not, the locals who stage this play aren’t thrilled to see four English guests in their town.Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
-
An island is insular by nature, and your goal is to create an inclusive environment that allows every member to flourish.Sam Adeyemi, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
High in the Italian Alps, the wise but taciturn eldest daughters of a provincial matriarch, perpetually pregnant, vie for the attentions of Pietro (De Domenico), who hails from Sicily and has been deserted by the war.Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
-
Fabula, co-produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, follows Jos, a provincial criminal grappling with personal and professional failures.Sara Merican, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
For the three months that followed, the 16-year-old and her family, along with thousands of other Muslims, lived in fear as sectarian violence broke out and transformed the country.Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
-
The latter refers to the sectarian bloodletting that followed Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s removal.Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Bieber assumes little, to no risk in the agreement.Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
-
In the Midwest, ground blizzards develop with little or no new snowfall.Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near parochial
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share