sect

¹ American  

[sekt] / sɛkt /

noun

1. a body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious denomination.

2. a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.

3. (in the sociology of religion) a Christian denomination characterized by insistence on strict qualifications for membership, as distinguished from the more inclusive groups called churches.

4. any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or under a doctrinal leader.

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-sect ² American  

1. a combining form with the meaning “cut,” used in the formation of compound words bisect, dissect, exsect .

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sect. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. section.

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-sect ¹ British  

combining form

1. to cut or divide, esp into a specified number of parts

   trisect

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sect ² British  

/ sɛkt /

noun

1. a subdivision of a larger religious group (esp the Christian Church as a whole) the members of which have to some extent diverged from the rest by developing deviating beliefs, practices, etc

2. derogatory

   1. a schismatic religious body characterized by an attitude of exclusivity in contrast to the more inclusive religious groups called denominations or Churches

   2. a religious group regarded as extreme or heretical

3. a group of people with a common interest, doctrine, etc; faction

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sect Cultural  

1. A religious group, especially one that has separated from a larger group. Sect is often a term of disapproval.

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Other Word Forms

• subsect noun
• undersect noun

Etymology

Origin of sect¹

1300–50; Middle English secte < Latin secta something to follow, pathway, course of conduct, school of thought, probably noun derivative of sectārī to pursue, accompany, wait upon, frequentative of sequī to follow

Origin of -sect²

From Latin sectus, past participle of secāre “to cut”

Explanation

A sect is a religious group that exists inside of a larger religion. Think of it as a section of a particular religion. Although objectively speaking a sect is merely a subdivision of a larger religious group, the word often carries with it the feeling of a part of a religion that has broken away. It often has a negative connotation in English because it implies that the group departed from what was standard to believe something different or odd. If you are comparing two sects you might talk about their sectarian differences.

Example Sentences

The Unification Church lost an appeal Wednesday against a Japanese court's order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Tehran has provided weapons, training and other aid to the Houthis, according to Washington, though the Houthis belong to a separate branch of Shiite Islam than the “Twelver” sect prevalent in Iran.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

The sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam whose members make up one of the country's biggest religious minorities.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

The sect is known as the Shaking Quakers, for their combination of a Quakerish faith in the individual spiritual experience and a worship style characterized by a feral sort of dancing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

He was cared for by a group of Jansenists, Catholics who belonged to a sect based largely on a hatred of the Jesuit order.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• church
• creed
• cult
• denomination
• faction
• faith
• religion