CLIQUEY Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

cliquey

adjective

Definition of cliquey

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliquey

Adjective

Whitehead wanted to write, but workshops rejected him and the cliquish undergraduate literary scene put him off.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Definition of cliquish

Adjective

For our annual Fall Arts preview, The Charlotte Observer spoke to leaders at 11 organizations to hear their family-friendly recommendations as the 2026-27 arts season begins.

— Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
Pilot's seat aside, there are several other play-friendly features.

— Chris McMullen, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of friendly

Adjective

The Machine was lambasted, fairly, for its clannish coördination and its efforts to keep Democratic politics in a certain mainstream style.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
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

Definition of clannish

Adjective

That could still be possible even if White does not play at Portman Road tomorrow night, but his early substitution at the Stadium of Light felt a bit too familiar.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
If this was the case, Hodge realized, experts could continue their calculations using familiar algebraic structures instead of struggling with the triangles.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of familiar

Adjective

Bridgeport sits just outside of downtown on the Near South Side, and homeowners are close-knit.

— Jermont Terry, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
In a market like Louisville, where professional networks are often close-knit and reputations matter, marketing decisions can have a noticeable impact on customer perception and business relationships.

— Jason Phillips, Ascend Agency, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of close-knit

Browse Nearby Words

cliques

cliquey

cliquish

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“Cliquey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliquey. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cliquey

adjective

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