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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sectarian
Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Tribalism along sectarian lines has long been a reality in both Lebanon and Syria, Boulos notes.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Mar. 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
This Council on Foreign Relations report breaks down the sectarian drivers of wars that have reshaped the Middle East.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Tribalism along sectarian lines has long been a reality in both Lebanon and Syria, Boulos notes.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Mar. 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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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
Noun
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But this idea—that the more motivated partisans are to discriminate against Black voters, the less racist that discrimination is—is a perverse inversion of the Fifteenth Amendment.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2026
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This has not always endeared him to some Democratic partisans.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The fact is that Islamophobia is the last form of acceptable bigotry in America.—
Zainab Chaudry,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2026
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But there was a very bad deal going on in Detroit in the summer of 1943, systemic bigotry at its worst, and the CP flooded the place with bad dope and real bad cheap rot-gut booze.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Set in Gaza in 2007, and following the misadventures of a student (Nader Abd Alhay) and restaurant owner and petty criminal (Majd Eid), the picture premiered in Un Certain Regard last year and won the Best Director prize.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
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On Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa, a former national police chief who first enforced then President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdowns, in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
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By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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The hit was a small smudge on Bruins ace Taylor Tinsley’s line, finishing with two strikeouts and three hits across the five innings.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
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Four nations will be making their debut next month, including tiny Curaçao, the smallest by population ever to qualify.—
James Robson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Goodson says that individuals with histamine intolerance may experience symptoms like headaches or digestive discomfort when consuming fermented foods, as these products can be naturally high in histamines.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
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This is just another clear indication of the intolerance and hypocritical nature of the left.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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In the end, the Basecamp V3 looks like an impressively small, capable trailer ready to carry all types of gear from its every free square inch - a high-capacity tiny hauler built to tow over rougher, narrower, steeper terrain than drivers towing larger trailers would ever dare try.—
C.C. Weiss
May 22,
New Atlas,
22 May 2026
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But most memorably, the Bellucci plays a lonely, melancholy artist living on the farm whose role holds the key to the movie’s (however narrow) emotional strengths.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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