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 Realism shouldn’t be applied to a show like President Curtis, but the initial adventure isn’t funny enough to stanch the flow of parochial curiosities. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 From a parochial point of view, former Bruin goalie Joonas Korpisalo is now a Blueshirt after being dealt to Broadway on July 1. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 15 July 2026 They are hired hands and stewards of other people’s capital, with no desire to becoming embroiled in internecine squabbles between clashing advocates, parochial activists, and plain opportunists latching on to the moment. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 In the most parochial place that ever was or ever will be, authenticity functions as a means of psychic gatekeeping, and someone who doesn’t speak the lingua Francona isn’t someone who’s worth listening to when the game’s on. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for parochial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial

Adjective

Then handle the smaller responsibilities competing for your attention.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Its compact permanent magnet motor enables a smaller pod diameter, reducing hydrodynamic drag while maintaining high propulsion performance.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

The good and the bad of democracy — healthy debate and petty political theater — were on display that weekend in Brussels.

— Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026
Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of petty

Adjective

Louisville and Boise State don’t move much after narrow losses to top-10 teams.

— Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The extremely short, picometer-scale wavelength of nuclear-decay neutrinos makes the possible collective emission cone extraordinarily narrow.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of narrow

Adjective

The scale of private capital available to entrepreneurs has made the tech industry a particularly insular space.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Set against the remote, insular world of its titular island, production designer Steve Arnold and set decorator Jennifer Engel created a lived-in, slightly stuck in time and, when necessary, deeply unsettling environment.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of insular

Adjective

The provincial government says the investment will strengthen aerospace capacity and support skilled employment in the province.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — had died at Marineland since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through Freedom-of-Information laws and official statements.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of provincial

Adjective

Many Hindus today identify as Shaivas, Vaishnavas, or Shaktas, sectarian groups that, respectively, worship Shiva, Vishnu, or Shakti as supreme, with all other deities considered as manifestations or subordinates.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Experts see the union as evidence that Syria might actually be putting the era of sectarian violence behind it.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of sectarian

Adjective

That’s right — after three straight Friday-night deadlines, Gameweek Four gets under way at 3pm on Saturday, handing you that little bit of extra time to agonise over the right moves for the next round of action.

— Ben Dinnery, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Jongmin Lee, a quantum sensing scientist at SNL, has been working to build an extremely small version of this device, one that consumes very little power and can be used in the field.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of parochial

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes