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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices
an ideological sectarianism that prevented the political party from ever being anything more than a fringe group
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sectarian
TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Lives lived: Zakia Jafri, who waged a decades-long legal battle against government officials in India after her husband was killed during sectarian riots, died at 86.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
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
But by 2007, our policy was failing and Iraq was disintegrating into a sectarian war.
—TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Lives lived: Zakia Jafri, who waged a decades-long legal battle against government officials in India after her husband was killed during sectarian riots, died at 86.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
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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Currently the parochial vicar at St. Lucy Parish in Campbell, Rev. Pedigo formerly served as pastor at St. Julie Billiart and Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Jose.—
Sal Pizarro,
The Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2025
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At this point, any family that wants their child to attend a private school is now able to get more than $8,000 per year to pay private or parochial tuition.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That sketch, coming just before the episode’s closing performance by Cypress Hill, was the hour’s peak, containing all the promise of petty obsessions afforded airtime in a chorus of besuited actors shouting a monologue as one.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2025
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This isn’t to say the vigilante trans group in the new world is free of petty catfights.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In early December, Roberts returned to the place of his birth, traveling to the Japanese city of Naha on the small Pacific island of Okinawa to receive an official recognition from the municipality’s local government.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2025
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There are other arguments for smaller capacity venues.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The historically narrow majority that Republicans hold in the House of Representatives means this opposition will probably continue.—
Justin Peck / Made by History,
TIME,
14 Mar. 2025
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Rubrik beat Wall Street’s expectations, posting an adjusted loss of 18 cents per share for its fourth quarter, which was narrower than the 39 cent loss expected from analysts polled by LSEG.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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