parochialism

noun

pa·ro·chi·al·ism | \ pə-ˈrō-kē-ə-ˌli-zəm

Definition of parochialism

: the quality or state of being parochial especially : selfish pettiness or narrowness (as of interests, opinions, or views)

Examples of parochialism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other premiers have experienced similar boosts based on muscular parochialism — even though Australians were movers before the pandemic. — New York Times, "Australia’s States Are Feuding Like Siblings. What Else to Do but Laugh?," 14 Jan. 2021 Voters also opted to keep four at-large council seats, thus providing a buffer against excessive parochialism. — Washington Post, "Election 2020: Winners and losers from Virginia, Maryland and D.C.," 6 Nov. 2020 Granted, there’s a little parochialism involved whenever the subject turns to USAA in San Antonio. — Greg Jefferson, ExpressNews.com, "Jefferson: USAA Bank did wrong by customers, including active-duty military. It needs to live up to its values.," 16 Oct. 2020 Critics of the measure say eliminating at-large candidates, who are meant to represent all county residents, would reduce the number of council members that residents get to vote for from five to one and lead to parochialism on the dais. — Washington Post, "In Montgomery, council structure and property taxes are on the ballot this fall," 21 Sep. 2020 New York seems a place that is often unwilling to examine its deep and ironic parochialism, and this is one of the results. — Sarah Menkedick, Longreads, "American Dirt: A Bridge to Nowhere," 10 Aug. 2020 Another weakness of the argument that the economy would come roaring back is its parochialism. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "Economic Reality Bites Wall Street and Trump," 12 June 2020 Chalk it up perhaps to the sexism of the time, and the parochialism of her field. — Penelope Green, New York Times, "Iris Love, Stylish Archaeologist and Dog Breeder, Dies at 86," 23 Apr. 2020 What makes Pelosi’s and Schumer’s grip on power so secure is, in fact, their parochialism. — Alex Pareene, The New Republic, "Democrats Decide, Again, Not to Try Anything New," 10 Apr. 2020

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