as in cliquish
bound together by feelings of very close association
a clannish family that can be rather cool to outsiders
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Recent Examples of clannish
This sort of soft, clannish corruption is not a coat of paint that can be stripped from the protectionist architecture; the dysfunction infests the very foundations of it.
—
David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Ambassadorships are often awarded to loyalists and supporters, but this appointment looks particularly clannish.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The model relies on a dramatic shift in relations among officers and prisoners, two historically warring factions in a system built on clannish gamesmanship for survival.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for clannish
David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Ambassadorships are often awarded to loyalists and supporters, but this appointment looks particularly clannish.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The model relies on a dramatic shift in relations among officers and prisoners, two historically warring factions in a system built on clannish gamesmanship for survival.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
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Museums, statues and sculptures dedicated to Andersen’s life and stories thread through cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly streets, giving the city a fairytale atmosphere that feels woven into the architecture itself.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
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Salustri books a cottage at one of the last remaining mom-and-pop stays in Islamorada, White Gate Court, a pet-friendly collection of cottages with its own private beach.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her family was, and is, close-knit.—
Andre Mouchard,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Sosa previously revealed that the former DWTS partners — who remained close-knit on social media in the months following Delvey's exit from the show — were on the rocks last fall.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The middle daughter of the family has always felt outside of its cliquey confines, what with Lizzy and Jane forming such a pair and Kitty and Lydia (Molly Wright and Grace Hogg-Robinson) practically sharing a brain.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
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The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In mid-January, as Iran crushed wide-scale protests with the mass killing of demonstrators, Israel prepared a covert mission along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, two of the sources familiar with the plans told CNN.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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Broadcom is backstopping payments on the largest portions of the transaction, people familiar with the matter have said.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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