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
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
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
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2011
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
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
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This friendly caller is helping seniors feel less lonely, The Wall Street Journal reports.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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This is a guide that is both a friendly flower refresher course for the veteran gardener and a wonderful introduction to flowers for the novice.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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West Texas saw an influx of almost 50 cases, and health officials attributed the drastic uptick to a close-knit, under vaccinated Mennonite community.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
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The stepmom/daughter relationship Zaya and Gabrielle share seems to be close-knit.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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The skills that prepare a child to read begin developing in utero, as a baby listens to the familiar voices around them and begins to develop connections between sounds and the meanings of words in their home language.—
Jenny Gold,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
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Pritzker and Emanuel are nationally familiar names.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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