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 So the players will get a day off to cool down but have to spend the night at the pub quiz in teams of Ted’s choosing, never mind the cliques. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 Amid the crushes, cliques, and teenage angst, two sisters set out to define themselves on their own terms. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 In a number of sensitive sectors, such as telecommunications, EVs, and drones, such cliques have already formed, setting bans and restrictions on the use of equipment from Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliques

Noun

The constitutional question has been litigated many times, and by our count, every state or federal appellate court that’s ruled on the issue has concluded that ALPR networks are within bounds of the Fourth Amendment.

— Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
As defense shifts from traditional armor toward connected missile-defense grids and real-time targeting, its components become increasingly central to the weapons and sensing systems that make those networks work.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of networks

Noun

Online networks’ native agents were bringing more adaptive systems to a changing art world, using tactics celebrated in their own communities but until recently taboo in the towers of high culture.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
The new 3rd District brings together Sacramento suburbs and rural communities in Nevada, El Dorado and Placer counties.

— Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of communities

Noun

Advertisement In many circles, the first mention of climate policy in the EU tends to be a discussion about backtracking.

— Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
The death in a helicopter crash of Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife and three others has reverberated across government and industry circles on the continent, as investigators began examining what caused the aircraft to go down.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of circles

Noun

As Brazil has lost the ability to control its own security agenda, decisions about how to handle criminal gangs operating from its territory are increasingly made outside the country.

— MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
Around Wedela, Reuters reported that criminal gangs run the operations and use armed men to protect their territory.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of gangs

Noun

The premium hardware and 500D nylon build offer IPX4 splash protection and rugged longevity without relying on the loud, militaristic styling that makes other tactical packs look out of place in a professional office.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
According to The Globe and Mail, free packs of tissues branded with Bareilles’s name were handed out earlier this month at a Toronto show.

— Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of packs

Noun

Ali Mahmoud Ali, the group's Sudan analyst, said that the latest clashes risk bringing in more Nuba clans into the fight and could increase divisions across South Kordofan, where communities are facing an already dire humanitarian situation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
All Palestinian clans and families in Gaza would also be a target for disarmament, which would have an impact on the future of Hamas and Palestinian armed struggle.

— Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of clans

Noun

As in the original, hatchets must be buried and covens assembled to answer these questions.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of covens

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“Cliques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliques. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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noun

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