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
Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program allows families to use state dollars that would have followed their child to a traditional public school to instead pay for a private, parochial or nonreligious school.
—
Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 10 July 2025
There also appeared to be a number of parochial changes aimed at placating some of the most vocal opponents of the legislation, including several for Alaska, home to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has said the measure would hurt her state.
—Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025
Brian Colbert ran on a parochial platform focused on garden-variety local issues.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
In a chamber fraught with parochial interests and personalities in spades, the sprint to finish this by the July 4 holiday is going to be clipped.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 10 July 2025
There also appeared to be a number of parochial changes aimed at placating some of the most vocal opponents of the legislation, including several for Alaska, home to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has said the measure would hurt her state.
—Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025
Brian Colbert ran on a parochial platform focused on garden-variety local issues.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
In a chamber fraught with parochial interests and personalities in spades, the sprint to finish this by the July 4 holiday is going to be clipped.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial
Adjective
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This personal blender can whip up breakfast smoothies, sauces and dips, salsas, omelets, and more thanks to its small but mighty 250-watt power base and stainless steel cross blade.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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Among its 14 plant oils are argan kernel and rice bran, which regulate sebum production and loosen dead skin cells, respectively—and, together, leave your pores looking significantly smaller and your skin significantly smoother.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The newspaper reported at the time that Zinn has a criminal record dating back to 1989 that includes dozens of convictions for petty crimes such as criminal trespass, theft of services, interfering with a police officer and disturbing the peace.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The petty back-and-forth continued throughout the interview and escalated to the point that Dash threatened to get physical with CTG.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Students have a narrow window to unlock access to training that could dramatically shape their post-grad trajectory.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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For decades, OPOs have been bulky systems with narrow ranges.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The structure is stale and insular, with glaring blind spots.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When 17 children from one classroom inexplicably run out into the night, a frightened insular community starts pointing fingers at their young schoolteacher (Julia Garner) and the sole survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher).—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One particularly notable viral video featured the son of a provincial government minister posing in front of a tree made from boxes of luxury labels including Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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The provincial assembly for the Gandaki province in Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, was set on fire, as well as the Siraha District Court in southeast Nepal, and at least a dozen government buildings across the Rupandehi province and the Gautam Buddha International Airport in the area.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Syria’s new government must quash the sectarian violence that threatens to derail the nation’s post-Assad progress.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The militias that make up the PMF have units that operate independently from the Iraqi state and are even more proudly sectarian and loyal to Iran.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Olympic silver medalist ran textbook races all season with little to no critiques on form and competitive nature.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Most available positions are informal, poorly compensated and offer little stability or room for career growth.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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