CLIQUES Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

cliques

noun

plural of clique

as in networks

a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cliques That era involved small cliques of devs talking a big game about decentralization (which often provided a pretext for no accountability) while shilling tokens at all turns. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026 Since its inception, social media has been a proving ground for tween fashion and identity, offering under-16s a digital canvas to experiment with their style and form online cliques around niche interests. — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 2 July 2026 Ramsey numbers for same-size red and blue cliques are called diagonal Ramsey numbers. — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 26 June 2026 Under Meza, player cliques developed, stars were pampered, discipline waned. — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Prosecutors said the killings were tied to Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a transnational gang that maintains a presence in Los Angeles through smaller groups, or cliques, including in the San Fernando Valley and around MacArthur Park. — Sydney Barragan, Daily News, 6 June 2026 What began as a search for community and understanding turned into an experience that felt akin to the cliques and social hierarchies of high school. — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 6 June 2026 Tuchel does not want dressing-room cliques and has put a premium on having a unified group pulling in the same direction. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 23 May 2026 In this milieu, Hollywood A-listers like Will Ferrell and Sharon Stone, who occupy separate cliques nearby, pale in comparison to the mingling artistic luminaries. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliques

Noun

That is potentially significant because modern military operations increasingly depend on networks containing aircraft, ships, unmanned systems, sensors and command-and-control nodes from multiple organizations.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
The city’s manufacturing ecosystem depends on rough stones sourced from around the world, processed by tens of thousands of workers, and funneled into global markets through trading networks centered in Mumbai.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of networks

Noun

Between 2000 and 2020, at least 1,160 elephants died in incidents linked to self-defense or retaliatory killings as communities sought to protect their crops, property and lives, the Plan notes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Sullivan believes this program will have a profound impact but cautions that simply planting trees is not the sole solution for making communities safer.

— Tara Molina, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of communities

Noun

In addition to prepping the skin, the brand says the wand’s therapeutic warmth and soothing vibrations reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, all while boosting the skin’s natural radiance.

— Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
The silky, buildable formula camouflages all things acne scars, dark circles, and other blemishes without looking thick or cakey.

— Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of circles

Noun

But as demonstrations attracted larger crowds, the government was forced to acknowledge them and respond to their growing influence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Once a lawyerly panel, a takeover by a trio of conservatives deeply mistrustful of the state’s voting system has turned the board’s once mundane meetings into boisterous events packed with crowds of cheering and jeering activists.

— Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of crowds

Noun

The report said armed gangs also attacked public and private buildings, leading to the suspension of most commercial activities and basic services in the neighborhoods affected by the violence.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
The military has also been stretched by efforts to combat armed gangs carrying out mass kidnappings for ransom, and fighting between semi-nomadic herdsmen and settled farmers in states across the center of the country.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of gangs

Noun

Season 2 sees Louis and Claudia in Europe — just in time for World War II — and both novel and show expand outward to include things like vampire covens and AMC tie-in series to the further reaches of Rice’s lore.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
The Last Witch Hunter, about the one man who stands between humanity and the most horrible witch covens imaginable, grossed $130 million at the worldwide box office at the time of its initial theatrical release in 2015.

— Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025

Definition of covens

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“Cliques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliques. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cliques

noun

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