Synonyms of sectarian

sectarian 1 of 3

adjective

sek-ˈter-ē-ən 

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

• parochial
• petty
• small
• narrow
• provincial
• insular
• little
• narrow-minded
• illiberal
• stubborn
• partisan
• Lilliputian
• small-minded
• bigoted
• picayune
• rigid
• discriminatory
• reactionary
• dogmatic
• obstinate
• intolerant
• wrongheaded
• obdurate
• ironbound
• biased
• partial
• prejudiced
• discriminating
• limited
• hidebound
• inflexible
• jaundiced
• unyielding
• stodgy
• opinionated
• old-fashioned
• one-sided
• opinionative
• straitlaced
• unsophisticated
• stuffy
• set
• hick
• brassbound

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberal
• catholic
• cosmopolitan
• tolerant
• open
• receptive
• objective
• impartial
• nonpartisan
• unbiased
• unprejudiced
• broad-minded
• open-minded
• freethinking

sectarian

2 of 3

noun (1)

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

• partisan
• nationalist
• fanatic
• bigot
• dogmatist
• racist
• purist
• dogmatizer
• doctrinaire
• supremacist
• chauvinist
• jingoist
• racialist
• sexist

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberal
• freethinker
• latitudinarian

sectarianism

3 of 3

noun (2)

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

• bigotry
• dogmatism
• intolerance
• prejudice
• illiberality
• partisanship
• illiberalism
• bias
• narrow-mindedness
• small-mindedness
• parochialism
• insularity
• opinionatedness
• intolerantness
• provincialism
• illiberalness
• insularism
• partiality

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberalism
• tolerance
• liberality
• progressivism
• broad-mindedness
• progressiveness
• open-mindedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sectarian

Adjective

The government’s counter-insurgency spiraled into sectarian violence. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Many Hindus today identify as Shaivas, Vaishnavas, or Shaktas, sectarian groups that, respectively, worship Shiva, Vishnu, or Shakti as supreme, with all other deities considered as manifestations or subordinates. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 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

Noun

The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict. — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026