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
Distraught by life in the South, Reed figured that the only way to escape his parochial childhood was to write his way out.
—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parochial
Adjective
-
Name the worry out loud, then choose a small boundary that protects your energy, such as turning off notifications during a demanding task.
-
People milled about clutching small rainbow flags from the human rights organization Outright International.
Adjective
-
Some were petty — like Reese committing a foul against Clark, then jerking her head back, impersonating Clark as a flopper.
-
As long as there have been people, there have been petty complaints about people.
Adjective
-
Many of Haaland’s bags are actually Haut à Courroies (HAC), the model that the Birkin is based off, but with a slightly taller and narrower profile.
-
But with 10,000 baby boomers reportedly retiring every day and millions of businesses approaching a transition point, the window to get it right is narrow.
Adjective
-
Once, in anthropology class, my professor lectured on an insular island tribe that cackled whenever someone got hurt.
-
Of course, Hollywood is always going to gravitate more toward America’s insular sporting worlds.
Adjective
-
Online databases, provincial vital records offices, and archives help reconstruct the family chain.
-
The court convicted the two defendants after a trial that was initially held in Gwadar and later moved to a high-security prison in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, because of security concerns.
Adjective
-
In the months after Assad’s fall in Syria, there were several eruptions of violence between groups loyal and opposed to al-Sharaa that spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks, in which Sunni Islamist fighters affiliated with the new government carried out attacks on Alawite and Druze civilians.
-
During the Biden administration, the DSA hemorrhaged members amid sectarian infighting, especially over Palestine.
Adjective
-
Yet at the individual and family level, there was little.
-
For example, when the question comes up if a certain weird little alien on a space bus who sounds unmistakably like Seth Rogen is actually Rogen.
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
