parochial

adjective

pa·​ro·​chi·​al pə-ˈrō-kē-əl 

1

: of or relating to a church parish

our pastor and other parochial leaders

2

: of or relating to a parish as a unit of local government

parochial authorities serve the inhabitants of Louisiana's parishes

3

: confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish : limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region) : provincial, narrow

parochially

pə-ˈrō-kē-ə-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

While it’s far from a given that small towns foster narrow-mindedness, the limited range of opportunities and experiences in such places when compared to those of bigger burgs is at the heart of the figurative sense of parochial. In Late Latin, parochia was the designation for a group of Christians in a given area under the leadership of one pastor—what came to be known in English as a parish in the 14th century. Both parish and its related adjective parochial were borrowed at that time directly from Anglo-French terms that came from parochia. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that parochial expanded beyond the borders of its literal sense to describe attitudes, beliefs, mentalities, outlooks, etc., considered limited or narrow, confined or restricted, as if within a single parish.

Synonyms of parochial

• small
• petty
• narrow
• insular
• provincial
• sectarian
• little

Examples of parochial in a Sentence

It has never been clearer that the country's best self is a global inheritance, its worst a parochial self-certainty. —Jedediah Purdy, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009

There is no patience for the parochial, the small-time, the stay-in-place, not in Los Angeles. —Richard Hoffer, Sports Illustrated, 8 Sept. 2008

… during the mid-1780s, Madison had two great goals. The first was to inculcate an enlightened sense of national interest in legislators whose political instincts were innately parochial. —Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings …, 1996

our pastor and other parochial leaders

voters worried about their own parochial concerns

Recent Examples on the Web

Several residents who spoke at the meetings characterized the opposition as a vocal minority of residents who have fixated on a few mostly parochial issues. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

All but one, Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, were either parochial or had some religious affiliation. — Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026

Realism shouldn’t be applied to a show like President Curtis, but the initial adventure isn’t funny enough to stanch the flow of parochial curiosities. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026

From a parochial point of view, former Bruin goalie Joonas Korpisalo is now a Blueshirt after being dealt to Broadway on July 1. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parochiall, from Anglo-French parochial, from Late Latin parochialis, from parochia parish — more at parish

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing parochial

• parochial school

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Kids Definition

parochial

adjective

pa·​ro·​chi·​al pə-ˈrō-kē-əl 

1

: of or relating to a parish

2

: restricted or limited in range or scope : narrow, provincial

a parochial point of view

parochialism

-kē-ə-ˌliz-əm

noun

parochially

-kē-ə-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

parochial

adjective

pa·​ro·​chi·​al pə-ˈrō-kē-əl 

: of or relating to a parish