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

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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 Cooke’s more convincing charge is that Deletionism has kept Wikipedia parochial. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 For Bourne, newspapers, besides giving information, encourage an acceptance of non-parochial views. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 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 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
  • Murphy said doctors diagnosed him with a small hemorrhagic stroke, which is a bleed in the brain.
    — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • This design improves control over unwanted current leakage as transistors become smaller.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of small
Adjective
  • Morrow is a 45-year-old woman convicted of misdemeanor assault and three petty offenses for blocking a Department of Homeland Security building and touching an agent’s shoulder in south Charlotte last November.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026
  • More recently, Newsom has resisted calls to fund Proposition 36, a ballot measure that levies harsher penalties for petty crime that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2024.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • FinFET transistors FinFETs are transistors with narrow silicon channels shaped like upright fins rather than flat structures.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of insisting on playing through pressure, defenders cleared the ball when necessary, stayed compact and protected a narrow lead.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of narrow
Adjective
  • Following the release of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI’s founding team found themselves on the other side of overnight fame—at least in the insular tech bubble of the Bay Area.
    — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Every aspect of the program has been more insular and closed off.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of insular
Adjective
  • Gleb is a successful businessman, a Russian muzhik made good—wealthy, sturdy, practical—who owns a logistics company in a midsize, provincial city.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In March 2025, provincial liquor boards across Canada pulled American products from their shelves.
    — Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of provincial
Adjective
  • As Philbrick makes clear, sectarian concerns over who would control the state’s wealth ran high from the beginning, and many of those who went West after 1848 were not just seeking a private fortune.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sectarian
Adjective
  • While sharing little in common with dueling-guitar acts such as the Allman Brothers Band or ’70s contemporaries the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, Television also drew its power from the preternatural rapport between Verlaine and Lloyd’s instruments.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The lines of control in the country changed little for years, and a truce was reached in 2022.
    — AHMED HATEM, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of little

Browse Nearby Words

parlous
parochial
parochialism
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Cite this Entry

“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parochial. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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