clique

1 of 2

noun

ˈklik 

also

ˈklēk 

: a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons

especially : one held together by common interests, views, or purposes

high school cliques

cliquey

ˈkli-kē 

also

ˈklē- 

adjective

cliquish

ˈkli-kish 

adjective

cliquishly adverb

cliquishness noun

cliquish

2 of 2

adjective

cliqu·​ish ˈkli-kish 

ˈklē-

variants or less commonly cliqueish

1

: tending toward narrow exclusiveness or to form a clique

cliquish attitudes developed among children coming from the fashionable west side

newly arrived immigrants tend to be cliquish for a while

2

: marked by a tendency to divide into cliques

ballet companies by reputation are … cliquish

—Al Hine

cliquishly adverb

Cliquishly removed from everyone else, these four misshapen heroes maintained their mutual connection through ironic code …

—Frazier Moore, Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, 8 Oct. 2001

cliquishness noun

There is a slight sense of Southern cliquishness—understandable, I suppose, in a Virginia magazine, and not so hard to take when it involves the likes of Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor and Peter Taylor.

—Daniel Stern, New York Times Book Review, 19 Jan. 1986

Synonyms of clique

Noun

• circle
• crowd
• network
• community
• bunch
• gang
• pack
• clan
• coterie
• coven

Examples of clique in a Sentence

Noun

that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Amid the crushes, cliques, and teenage angst, two sisters set out to define themselves on their own terms. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

In a number of sensitive sectors, such as telecommunications, EVs, and drones, such cliques have already formed, setting bans and restrictions on the use of equipment from Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

Her first taste of reciprocation comes via her gorgeous best friend, Chloe (Jodie Comer in an early role), who initiates her into a fun-loving coed clique. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Cohen honed her act at the forefront of a clique of comedians who performed cabaret comedy, often at Club Cumming, in the late 2010s. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French

First Known Use

Noun

1711, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for clique

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek
• leak

Kids Definition

clique

noun

ˈklēk  ˈklik 

: a small group of people who spend time together and are not friendly to other people

cliquey

ˈklē-kē 

ˈkli-

adjective