as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices
an ideological sectarianism that prevented the political party from ever being anything more than a fringe group
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sectarianism
Noun
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However, John Jay, a Protestant and first chief justice of the Supreme Court, once accused Catholics of spreading bigotry, persecution, murder and being a threat to America.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026 -
The statement’s open bigotry is jarring.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But for the audience the scariest revelation in the conversation isn’t his dogmatism.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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That — metaphorically and literally — is earned dogmatism, the risk that expertise breeds rigidity in our thinking and decision-making.—
Tim Maurer,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lactose intolerance, which prevents your small intestine from producing enough lactase, an enzyme needed to digest lactose, a sugar naturally found in dairy products.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Your choice of milk depends on your nutritional needs, allergies, intolerances, and dietary preferences.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Either way, the distinct cultural disconnect between Wright’s art praxis and police officers’ prejudices leads to profound misunderstandings.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
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Along with the restaurant group, its executive Lesa Sorrentino and alleged investor Denis Stavinoha were dismissed with prejudice.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Beyond the artificial perimeter of the Studio Zone, the country itself has been no less turbulent — fractured by partisanship, fighting over immigration and staring down the prospect of another endless war in the Middle East.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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From start to finish, ugly hyper-partisanship was on full display.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Orban and Putin once shared a close working relationship, grounded in energy deals and mutual illiberalism.—
NIC CHEESEMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
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Space warfare, cyber defense, mass migration, corruption, and illiberalism require fluency, adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.—
Loree Sutton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At American firms, accent bias can quietly shape whose ideas gain traction at work by depressing attention and engagement for speakers with nonnative English accents.—
Aliah Zewail,
Harvard Business Review,
17 Mar. 2026
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As the New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan has written, the Oscars’ infamous bias against young men is essentially a bias against heartthrobs — the more an actor appeals to young women, the more likely the largely male, largely middle-aged membership of the Academy is to write him off as a lightweight.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Sectarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarianism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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