as in cliquish
bound together by feelings of very close association
a clannish family that can be rather cool to outsiders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 clannish
In Afghanistan, legitimate authority has traditionally been highly localized, a product of consensus rather than brute force, and firmly anchored in tribal, clannish, and kinship structures.
—
Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2011
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2011
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
-
But if oil prices remain middling, even friendly policies might not compel companies to significantly ramp up drilling.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Instead of an origin story, Peter is thrown into the stressful situation of navigating high school life, being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and crushing on the daughter of Michael Keaton's villainous Vulture.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
The larger and less close-knit the group, the less appealing this kind of design can be.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
-
Our family is pretty close-knit for birthdays and celebrations.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
The whole first half of the season saw Hamilton struggle to adapt to the Italian race car, and Silverstone was another chapter in a familiar story.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
-
Managers saw themselves as solving the equivalent of familiar jigsaw puzzles.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share