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
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
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
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
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The Moon squares Jupiter, pitting your ambitious 10th house against your friendly 7th house.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
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But the financial institutions have begun to crowd out the city’s signature and historically local retail and restaurant-friendly Miracle Mile strip.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The family is close-knit, intrusive, rude and menacing.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Bediako case is a nice counterexample to the favoritism argument; the first judge stepped aside when his relationship with the university, or at least the coverage and commentary surrounding it, was too close-knit to be ignored, and the second judge ruled against his alma mater.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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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The birding site notes that hummingbirds migrate alone, often following familiar paths, and can travel up to 500 miles at a time at speeds of 20 to 30 mph.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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Bogen says the pattern is familiar from older Internet platforms, where small behavioral cues became signals that shaped what users saw and how they were categorized.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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