as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
there are people on both the left and the right who have staked out unyielding sectarian positions in this debate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in partisan
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices
charged that the work of Congress has been stymied by sectarians who are indifferent to reason and intolerant of compromise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of sectarian
Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019
Lebanon’s unique sectarian make up and place in the region make its politics about local issues like jobs, infrastructure, and garbage collection as well as about regional rivalries and alliances.
—Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
See all Example Sentences for sectarian 
Adjective
Assad’s fall has also highlighted ideological and sectarian divisions among Iran’s allies that may further fracture the axis’s cohesion.
—Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
Quite the contrary, the image of the cross makes the war memorial sectarian.
—Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019
Lebanon’s unique sectarian make up and place in the region make its politics about local issues like jobs, infrastructure, and garbage collection as well as about regional rivalries and alliances.
—Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
See all Example Sentences for sectarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sectarian
Adjective
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But parochial political feuds and byzantine zoning codes have hampered LA’s efforts to get more new housing off the ground.Carly Stern, Vox, 6 Dec. 2024
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Given the court's significance in international law, this case could have more of an impact than COP on countries' behavior and corporate policies — and on future legal action, compared to past more parochial climate cases.Andrew Freedman, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Read: Republicans take their shot at Mueller—and narrowly miss Ratcliffe probably wouldn’t have become the director of national intelligence if not for another pro-Trump partisan, Richard Grenell.Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
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He’s pledged to let political appointees oversee government spending, cut back food stamps and student debt relief, and end civil service protection for government employees so they can be fired and replaced with loyal partisans.Peter Green, Quartz, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But the smoke is still rising, and petty partisanship is a distraction and disservice at the moment, given all that’s been lost, and all the hard work of moving forward.Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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In an era of steadily declining trust in media, the dry formalities of a legal template provide not only an imprimatur of institutional credibility, but also the freedom to go into extreme amounts of detail without seeming petty, tedious or self-indulgent.Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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At publication time, Cal Fire said the Palisades Fire — the largest blaze — is 13 percent contained, while the Eaton Fire is at 33 percent containment and the smaller Hurst Fire near the city of San Fernando is almost fully contained.Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
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Reata at the Rodeo, a smaller but no less impressive version of the Southwestern steakhouse in downtown Fort Worth, will open at 11 a.m. Jan. 17 and will serve all day most days.Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans are weighing their big ambitions, limited time and narrow House and Senate majorities.Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
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But there are big stumbling blocks, including the narrow window to reach a deal and the widely varied value of the app.Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sectarian
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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