CLIQUY Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

clique 1 of 2

noun

ˈklik

Definition of clique

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cliquey

2 of 2

adjective

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 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 clique

Noun

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 Bradač’s work looked at Ramsey numbers, which tell mathematicians exactly how large a graph can become before it’s guaranteed to gain a clique or independent set. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 15 July 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

Barca’s debt figure is often exaggerated in some circles, with the club’s total liabilities lumped together in a manner not seen elsewhere.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of circle

Noun

Meanwhile, this is the freshest old man Aaron Rodgers will be all season, and the home crowd will be a factor in native son Mike McCarthy’s debut.

— Vic Tafur, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Each one of these items, including a versatile milk frother, quality coffee bean grinder and buzzy candy, can be used for making a cup of coffee in the morning or entertaining a crowd ready to get caffeinated.

— Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of crowd

Noun

Mint is a subsidiary of T-Mobile and has access to the that carrier's massive network.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
According to Florida corporate records cited in the lawsuit, Camero is a director and vice president of Televen International, the network’s Florida affiliate, while his father, Omar Camero Zamora, is a director and its president.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of network

Noun

Republicans and Democrats alike have faced anger from voters anxious about the impact a data center built in their community will have on utility bills, property values, and quality of life.

— Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2026
OpenAI’s recent proof, for instance, has yet to receive verification from the wider mathematical community.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of community

Noun

The film concerns a bus full of French high-school seniors on a trip to Pompeii, where the long gaze of history meets their hormonal entanglements and a bunch of Freudian desire.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Everything was very new to me about the process of sitting with a bunch of brilliant writers.

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of bunch

Noun

McFarlane, Jonathan Bowlan, Orion Kerkering and the gang could then take on lesser roles.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Bakewell’s donations weren’t the only ones to pose issues for Brotherhood Crusade, which provides an array of services aimed at keeping kids from joining gangs.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of gang

Noun

The Diamondbacks have managed to remain competitive with a middle-of-the-pack rotation for most of the season.

— Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Pennsylvania ranked 26th nationwide for the salary a single adult needs to live comfortably, placing it near the middle of the pack.

— Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of pack

Browse Nearby Words

clips

clique

cliques

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Clique.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clique. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of clique

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

hobnob

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes