PAROCHIAL Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

parochial

adjective

pə-ˈrō-kē-əl

Definition of parochial

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 Our small island has arguably contributed more in terms of popular music than any other nation, but British driving songs are unavoidably parochial. — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026 Since 2015, a flurry of cases has decided issues as parochial as how much individual athletes are paid out of broadcast revenues and how long student athletes are eligible to play. — Sen. Rand Paul Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Back then the age of discovery was at its peak, and startling new information about what had previously been a very parochial planet was flooding into the academies of Europe and the Americas. — Ian Tattersall, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for parochial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial

Adjective

The Sun’s gravity confines dense plasma, while terrestrial machines must create conditions for useful fusion within a much smaller space.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Ear seeding is a needle-free acupuncture technique that uses small beads held to the ear with adhesive to stimulate specific pressure points.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

The former sheriff claimed Luna has presided over a deep decline in department morale and staffing while being too soft on drug users, the homeless and petty criminals.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Takeshi’s father is a petty and proud man, in ways continually expanded upon throughout the film’s runtime, though how he’s actually framed never truly changes.

— Kambole Campbell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of petty

Adjective

Those qualities are attractive, but concentrating exclusively on them directs many investors toward the same narrow set of service companies.

— Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2026
The winning architecture is a stack of narrow intelligences pointed at what each one is good at, coordinated through a harness that knows which one to use when.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of narrow

Adjective

In March 2025, provincial liquor boards across Canada pulled American products from their shelves.

— Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
But neither election was a referendum on Carney, whose federal Liberal Party is separate from British Columbia’s provincial Conservatives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of provincial

Adjective

In 1976, the Syrian military intervened during Lebanon’s civil war to put an end to sectarian violence.

— Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
Carson draws parallels between the familial traumas of those who remain and the broader societal wounds of a province still healing from decades of sectarian violence.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of sectarian

Adjective

Here's where the high diesel prices add up tough – what little hay there is, is a lot more expensive to harvest.

— Anna King, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of little

Browse Nearby Words

parlous

parochial

parochialism

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of parochial

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abandon

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes