as in sectarian
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as in secessionist
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Recent Examples of separatist
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
The separatist group Baloch Liberation ​Army, or BLA, has claimed responsibility for the attack, but local authorities have not officially confirmed who is behind it, per Reuters and the Times.
—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Mark Banchereau,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Xi’s outreach to Cheng came along with overt swipes at Taiwan’s current government under President Lai Ching-te, who is shunned by Beijing as a dangerous ‘separatist’ for rejecting China’s claim that Taiwan is its territory.
—
Janis MacKey Frayer,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for separatist
Adjective
McDougall places this élitist, separatist tendency side by side with the more democratic, but no less fertile, creativity of the people who invented the city’s iconic dances.
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Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
The separatist group Baloch Liberation ​Army, or BLA, has claimed responsibility for the attack, but local authorities have not officially confirmed who is behind it, per Reuters and the Times.
—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Noun
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad separatist movement, said in a post on Facebook that its forces had taken control of Kidal and some areas in Gao, another northeastern city.
—
Mark Banchereau,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Xi’s outreach to Cheng came along with overt swipes at Taiwan’s current government under President Lai Ching-te, who is shunned by Beijing as a dangerous ‘separatist’ for rejecting China’s claim that Taiwan is its territory.
—
Janis MacKey Frayer,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for separatist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separatist
Adjective
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In the months after Assad’s fall in Syria, there were several eruptions of violence between groups loyal and opposed to al-Sharaa that spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks, in which Sunni Islamist fighters affiliated with the new government carried out attacks on Alawite and Druze civilians.
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During the Biden administration, the DSA hemorrhaged members amid sectarian infighting, especially over Palestine.
Noun
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However, various secessionist movements waxed and waned during the period between independence and the Civil War.
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During the Civil War, Southern California had its own pro-Confederacy secessionist militia, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles.
Adjective
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The potential members of a schismatic Catholic sect are located in areas of the world such as the United States, where the church has significant financial resources and assets, plus a wide array of independent Catholic institutions that operate largely outside the hierarchy of the church.
Noun
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Opportunists like the daycare group, which was selling weapons, and extremists — not the hobbyists.
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Many of these decisions were made so Netanyahu could retain the support of the far-right extremists keeping him in power and avoid a possible jail sentence on corruption charges.
Cite this Entry
“Separatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separatist. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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