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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In addition to a beach that could pass for the Caribbean, neighboring Siesta Key has a friendly, small-town feel, complete with two villages and a trolley that offers free rides to the beach and other destinations.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2025
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Ford sat down with Carney for a friendly breakfast in a Toronto diner in March.—
Stephen Maher,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Leading this loud and lovingly close-knit multigenerational family is Suga Mama (Jo Marie Payton), the feisty grandma and matriarch.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
15 Jan. 2025
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The kids in the long run have remained close-knit.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Kaye’s version, if the full title isn’t clear enough, has a familiar outline: First-gen immigrants become parents in the West, hoping their sacrifices will be rewarded with a doctor or lawyer child; child goes another way; conflict ensues.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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In so doing, Francis' steps did not always follow familiar paths.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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