as in small
not broad or open in views or opinions
the parochial pastimes of the people in that rural farm town
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Recent Examples of parochial
Research shows the disparity between vaccination coverage in private and parochial/religious versus public schools is that private and parochial/religious schools tend to have higher rates of exemptions to vaccinations for moral and religious beliefs.
—
Kar-Hai Chu, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
The school, a private parochial campus overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, had 390 students in kindergarten through eighth grade in 2025, according to its website.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026
Necks craning to the back of the hall, a hush fell over the small parochial church of Santa María Trinitá on the African island of São Tomé.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Kar-Hai Chu, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
The school, a private parochial campus overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, had 390 students in kindergarten through eighth grade in 2025, according to its website.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026
Necks craning to the back of the hall, a hush fell over the small parochial church of Santa María Trinitá on the African island of São Tomé.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial
Adjective
-
The national initiative is awarding more than $10 million to help small businesses grow, innovate, and strengthen their local communities, a spokesperson from the grant program said.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
-
Supporting small businesses also played a major role in her strategy.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Wembanyama mired his fundamental greatness by either trying too hard to dominate or exerting his physicality in a petty way.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
His girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and petty criminal mischief.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Natalie Neysa Alund The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow 100-mile-long waterway in the Middle East and has been a point of key contention during the course of the war.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
-
According to the home’s actual dimensions, the doorway (which didn’t exist when the family moved in) should dead-end to an external wall; instead, when Navidson opens the door, there’s a narrow hallway nearly ten feet long inside.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Jongno is protectively insular.—
Anton Hur,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
-
At times, Season 3 becomes too insular.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Some applicants reportedly relied on genealogy websites such as Ancestry or FamilySearch, while others submitted archival records rather than documents issued by provincial vital statistics offices or civil registries, CIC News reported.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
There’s been something sinister afoot in provincial France in recent years.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The risk in the Gulf is that the messaging surrounding police raids revives exclusionary language that governments have spent years trying to suppress, and that remains common in the sectarian politics of Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
-
Lebanon’s fractured system of government makes those fears of civil war or sectarian strife more potent.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Sandia Mountain, the aerial tramway to the peak, the fancy resort and casino, but don’t sleep on little Pueblo of Isleta south of town.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
For all of its massive successes, and for all of the fame, money, and love generated by this Broadway juggernaut, 125 years later the biggest lasting impact of Florodora is this spicy and fruity little cocktail, created for one particular girl in a particularly imperious mood.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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