parochial

adjective pa·ro·chi·al \ pə-ˈrō-kē-əl \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: parochial in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of parochial

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

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parochially

play \pə-ˈrō-kē-ə-lē\ adverb

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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 of parochial from the Web

The mayor overcame skepticism from New Orleans' famously parochial political class, which tends to gravitate toward candidates who can prove a familial connection to the city.

— kevin litten, NOLA.com, "New Mayor LaToya Cantrell takes office: New Orleans 'A city open to all'," 7 May 2018
Better than any other facility, the Arena displayed just how idiosyncratic, parochial, and working-class Philadelphia was.

— frank fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "The Arena: A sports time capsule for Philadelphia | Frank's Place," 9 Mar. 2018
First, the industry is particularly parochial, filled with people who are third and fourth generation diamond dealers.

— refinery29.com, "The Black Woman Bringing Luxury To New York’s Diamond District," 25 May 2018
For all his hatred of parochial moralizing—a constant theme in his work, whether the preaching came from Jews or gentiles, liberals or conservatives—Roth was himself a kind of moralist.

— adam kirsch, The Atlantic, "Remembering Philip Roth, a Giant of American Literature," 23 May 2018
During his questioning, Cruz did not hide his parochial concerns.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Bipartisan pair of senators blast plan to end space station in seven years," 16 May 2018
West Siders generally are known to be parochial, and Chabot is a political beast who would exploit that Pureval lives on the East Side.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX: Aftab Pureval considers run for Congress. Could Dem star beat Steve Chabot?," 10 Jan. 2018
He is joined by parochial vicar the Rev. Philip Ilg, who arrived at St. Mary’s on his 30th birthday in 2016 for his first priestly assignment, and who leads the youth group and plays guitar.

— mary schneidau sullivan, Laurel Leader, "A church with staying power," 19 Apr. 2018
Cristo Rey is the Sacramento parochial high school that provides a first-rate, and costly, eduction to kids living below the federal poverty line.

— marcos bretón, sacbee, "She came to Sacramento to 'change the world. ' To her students, she did. | The Sacramento Bee," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parochial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In the Greek New Testament, the word paroikia means "temporary residence." (It's from the Greek word for "stranger" - paroikos.) Early Christians used this designation for their colonies because they considered heaven their real home. But temporary or not, these Christian colonies became more organized as time went on. Thus, in Late Latin, parochia became the designation for a group of Christians in a given area under the leadership of one pastor - what we came to call a parish in the 14th century. Both parish and its related adjective parochial were borrowed at that time directly from Middle French terms that had been derived from the Late Latin. We didn't begin to use parochial in its "narrow" sense until the mid-19th century.