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
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
Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
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
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
Its leaders seek to exploit the country’s sectarian and ideological divisions to recruit new fighters and rebuild their caliphate.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
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
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
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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Viruses, as well as small bits of vegetation and invasive zebra mussel larvae, can hide in the plumbing of your rig.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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Kahn is optimistic that Coach’s focus on a smaller number of affordable, yet consistent products puts it in a better place to manage cost and price increases than its competitors.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On closer inspection, Capital Economics said Beijing’s policy is actually narrower in scope than initially feared.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs are defined by their steep, icy, and narrow conditions and the high risk of avalanches.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sectarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sectarian. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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