as in circle
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially
that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of clique
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
The Republican donors get their roles, splitting their loot with the more pliable components of the Castro clique.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clique
Noun
The dark comedy about teen suicide and social cliques was adapted into a musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy and had an off-Broadway run in 2014.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
The Republican donors get their roles, splitting their loot with the more pliable components of the Castro clique.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
See All Example Sentences for clique
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clique
Noun
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Andrew coach Alyssa Gunther put her in the circle on day one.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
-
The girl buried her head into Blair, who rubbed circles on her back.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
When Four Seasons later opened its Nile Plaza property across the river, that hotel took on more of the diplomatic and business crowd.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Officials initially called a common foul but moved to a video review as the Minnesota crowd grew restless.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said his new government has summoned the Russian ambassador over a drone attack near Hungary’s border, in a significant shift from his predecessor Viktor Orbán’s friendly relations with Moscow.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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There’s a friendly reception area with a giant chalkboard informing guests of local events, ranging from in-house parties to full moon nights at the Acropolis and big name gigs by the touring artists.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Noun
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That means viewership around such stuff is smaller, and the networks need to show that ads are reaching not the most people, but rather the most likely people to be interested in a bottle of soda, a specific kind of running shoe, or a new weight-loss drug.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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There are tall barriers to entry for anyone looking to compete with SpaceX and Blue Origin to put data center networks into orbit.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 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
Noun
-
Presidents have often recognized and honored the Jewish community within the broader story of America.—
Ari Berman,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Flanked by several clergy members of various denominations, Dolan, 76, thanked his former colleagues, as well as civic and community officials, before praising Jesus Christ for his lengthy career in the church.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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As criticism over competitive disparities intensified following the meet, pro-trans activists pushed back with the familiar argument that inclusion matters more than results, while opponents argued female athletes lose opportunities in the process.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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As the adrenaline levels rose on Monday and Tuesday, and the familiar choreography of another British political crisis began to play out—ministerial resignations, spiky statements on X—the collateral damage that Starmer had warned against started to encroach, once again, upon the scene.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Be sure to book a room on a high floor facing the Ponte Estaiada Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge, which is the most interesting of the bunch here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
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While Rickie Fowler and Ludvig Åberg chatted with their caddies, DeChambeau took a bunch of practice swings and chomped on a piece of beef jerky with more aggression than even chewy meat merits.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clique.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clique. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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