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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sectarian
Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Syria’s new government must quash the sectarian violence that threatens to derail the nation’s post-Assad progress.
—semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
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
Advertisement The alternative to organized, transparent, legal accountability is vigilantism and generalized revenge attacks which threaten to spill over into sectarian violence, and risk destabilizing Syria’s fragile transition.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Syria’s new government must quash the sectarian violence that threatens to derail the nation’s post-Assad progress.
—semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
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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Aquila served as a parochial vicar in two parishes from 1976 to 1982 and then as pastor at Denver’s Guardian Angels Parish from 1982 to 1987.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
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Or if that is not parochial enough, there are some decent Carabao Cup ties on Tuesday, with Manchester United’s conquerors Grimsby Town going to Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace hosting Millwall, a replay of last season’s bruising FA Cup clash.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To be a partisan is to live in intellectual bondage.—
John H Bolthouse,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Where the political polarization of AI goes next will probably depend on unpredictable future events and how partisans opportunistically seize on them.—
Nathan E. Sanders,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Who among us hasn’t fantasized in the shower about exacting elaborate revenge for petty upsets, or lain awake trying to reframe our humiliations as epic tales of triumph?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Strahinja Jokic, 43, was sentenced to a year of probation on the misdemeanor and petty offenses, according to the Denver district attorney’s office.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Designed for portability and performance The DGX Spark is small enough to fit in a backpack yet powerful enough to run modern AI reasoning models.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
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The lasagna gets topped with a layer of small, early spring bulbs like crocuses.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Colorado State is currently mired in a three-game losing streak, following a narrow 21-17 win over Northern Colorado.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Oct. 2025
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Whatever the catalyst, a change in the political environment seemed to connect with a social change that brought back narrow, and at times constrictive, ideas of womanhood depicted in media.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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