as in cliquish
bound together by feelings of very close association
found the people at the brokerage house to be just as cliquey as a gaggle of high school cheerleaders
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Recent Examples of cliquey
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.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliquey
Adjective
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The two clubs share many similarities beyond playing a friendly in 2014 and doing business in the form of Nicola Sansone’s transfer a decade ago.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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The conversation will revisit favorite character moments from the series and give fans an inside look at the process of filming the animal-friendly period piece.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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The flood of immigrants who settled in the area were a motley crew – clannish Scandinavians, Germans, Irish Catholics escaping famine, Yankees from New England, Black refugees from the segregated South, Mexican workers seeking a better life.—
Harry Boyte,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Many of the precautions a traveler could take are similar to those that became familiar at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Her family was, and is, close-knit.—
Andre Mouchard,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Sosa previously revealed that the former DWTS partners — who remained close-knit on social media in the months following Delvey's exit from the show — were on the rocks last fall.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cliquey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliquey. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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