parochial

adjective

pə-ˈrō-kē-əl How to pronounce parochial (audio)
Definition of parochialnext
as in small
not broad or open in views or opinions the parochial pastimes of the people in that rural farm town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 parochial Among the bureaucratic, parochial, pastoral and familial spaces his work takes his clients, a reflection on roots, gentrification and the act of remaining emerges. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 In some cases, opposition might amount to parochial not in my backyard — or NIMBY — concerns. — Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026 Several residents who spoke at the meetings characterized the opposition as a vocal minority of residents who have fixated on a few mostly parochial issues. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026 All but one, Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, were either parochial or had some religious affiliation. — Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for parochial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial
  1. small
  2. petty
  3. narrow
  4. insular
  5. provincial
  6. sectarian
  7. little
Adjective
  • Comparing households aged 72 and older in 2022 with those aged 75 and older in 2025, Maggiulli calculated a smaller—but still substantial—21% increase.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The development could help make optical atomic clocks smaller and more suitable for use outside laboratories.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of small
Adjective
  • The debut show from the pact, about the disappearance of Spanish petty criminal El Nani, remains in development, Corral confirmed.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Before the arrival of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, the death row inmates had been plagued by petty infighting.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • The decision to set that tone staggering through all 10 minutes of the extended cut might scan as raw inspiration, placing Spacemen 3 on a narrow band from La Monte Young and Terry Riley to some brilliant dro)))ne future.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Recent polls have shown Jackson holding only a narrow lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.
    — DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of narrow
Adjective
  • The yearslong feud offers a rare window into the insular world of top-tier science labs, where directors wield outsized authority.
    — Chris Serres — Boston Globe, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Amid geopolitical uncertainty and the AI boom, executive leadership has had to become a much less insular affair.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insular
Adjective
  • The provincial government said a committee had been formed to investigate the cause of the roof collapse of the three-story building.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In total, the deal will inject nearly 125 megawatts of extra clean electricity into the provincial grid.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of provincial
Adjective
  • The sectarian violence that followed the invasion appears to have convinced Iraqis of the importance of both national solidarity and separating religion from politics.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • At the sectarian level, Baptists ridiculed Quakers, Presbyterians oppressed Anabaptists.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sectarian
Adjective
  • Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That gives One Roof a significant advantage over competing Seattle bidders and little incentive to offer anything close to $10 billion.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of little

Browse Nearby Words

parlous
parochial
parochialism
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All