as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
there are people on both the left and the right who have staked out unyielding sectarian positions in this debate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in partisan
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices
charged that the work of Congress has been stymied by sectarians who are indifferent to reason and intolerant of compromise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sectarian
Omar Abdulkader, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
By 2014, years of corruption and sectarian politics had hollowed out the army, contributing to its rapid collapse when the Islamic State (ISIS), an extremist Sunni jihadi group, seized large swaths of northern Iraq.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019
Lebanon’s unique sectarian make up and place in the region make its politics about local issues like jobs, infrastructure, and garbage collection as well as about regional rivalries and alliances.
—Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for sectarian
Adjective
During his time in power, al-Maliki was regarded as being particularly close to Iran and was also accused of being overly sectarian, targeting members of Iraq's Sunni minority with his policies.
—Omar Abdulkader, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
By 2014, years of corruption and sectarian politics had hollowed out the army, contributing to its rapid collapse when the Islamic State (ISIS), an extremist Sunni jihadi group, seized large swaths of northern Iraq.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Quite the contrary, the image of the cross makes the war memorial sectarian.
—Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019
Lebanon’s unique sectarian make up and place in the region make its politics about local issues like jobs, infrastructure, and garbage collection as well as about regional rivalries and alliances.
—Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for sectarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sectarian
Adjective
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Democrats who opposed the bill, however, said the money would mainly go to private or parochial institutions and is part of the Republican caucus's efforts to direct money into private education.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Feb. 2026
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Seniors attending local parochial high schools who live within District 203 or 204 boundaries can also apply, the release said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Primaries can sometimes be a collective balancing act for voters, between what partisans want in a candidate and the strategic approach of anticipating what the wider electorate might want in a candidate.—
Anthony Salvanto,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Millions of Democrats in Texas, Republicans in California and partisans in other states have been effectively disenfranchised, their voices rendered mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Instead, Washington stages high-volume skirmishes over symbolic and petty conflicts.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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What begins as petty extortion turns into control of the local drug trade, as the girls style themselves as protectors of the poor and enemies of the corrupt.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Although discrepancies are smaller in data-rich regions such as Western Europe and the eastern United States, where robust local monitoring has kept projections more closely calibrated, the study identifies the West Coast of North America as a region where sea levels have also been underestimated.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Violas have smaller flowers and stay shorter.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Zero tankers transited the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, a narrow channel just off Iran’s southern coast that’s normally packed with an armada of 60 or more ships carrying 20% of the world’s oil.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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The narrow Strait is the only way for tankers to enter and exit the Persian Gulf.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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