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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Whitehead wanted to write, but workshops rejected him and the cliquish undergraduate literary scene put him off.
Adjective
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The band had been denied the opportunity to perform during Haiti’s pre-World Cup friendly against Peru, despite the presence of a Peruvian band.
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Founded in 2008, FunnyFlux is a Korean animation studio creating family-friendly IP for global audiences.
Adjective
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In fact, the Inter Miami FC star's entire family is close-knit and involved in his athletic career.
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The entire team is in shock, and the community is close-knit.
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.
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The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.
Adjective
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The source familiar with the 2024 fire probe said city inspectors now have questions following this new blaze about how the company handled the recovery from the last incident.
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This is familiar territory for the Panthers under president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito.
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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