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
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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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Could the trajectory of a presidency and a major political party, and perhaps modern American history itself, really trace back to a parochial dispute at a Palm Beach club at the start of this century?—
Tara Palmeri,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
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The maximalism and somewhat uncompromising presumption of a newspaper, with its warren of sections and columns and byways, is a quiet reproach to its audience’s most parochial instincts.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Anyone who takes or abandons a shopping cart can be convicted of a petty misdemeanor.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
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Vanderpump Rules features all the petty drama of Real Housewives with a messy cast of (very flawed) characters who make plenty of mistakes and get into more than their fair share of conflict.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But the proposal would only actually impact a small few — billionaires.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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The first call for help was a silent text message from an emergency beacon, mobilizing a small army of rescuers dispatched from different directions.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The goal was for the GOP to hold onto a narrow House majority in the face of political headwinds that typically favor the party out of power in midterms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
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The narrow waterway, just 21 miles wide, serves as a pinch point for 20 million barrels of crude every day, about one-fifth of global production.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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