as in factions
a group of people acting together within a larger group
one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus
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Recent Examples of sects
And Hezbollah, as the most heavily armed and violent element of Lebanon’s menagerie of factions and sects, wanted the guns without the responsibility.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sects
Noun
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Arafat led the Fatah movement and was the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a sometimes unwieldy umbrella group of various Palestinian factions, ranging from outright Marxist to avowedly Islamist and everything in between.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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The government's initial response, which blamed opposition factions rather than acknowledging excessive force, further inflamed tensions.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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How do members of political parties feel about political violence?—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Contemporaneous evidence that the parties intended a loan and treated it as such is persuasive in court and practical with IRS auditors.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sects. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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