parochial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or financially supported by one or more church parishes.
parochial churches in Great Britain.
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of or relating to parochial schools or the education they provide.
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very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial.
parochial views; a parochial mentality.
adjective
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narrow in outlook or scope; provincial
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of or relating to a parish or parishes
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parochial
1350–1400; late Middle English parochialle < Late Latin parochiālis ( see parish, -al 1); replacing Middle English parochiele < Anglo-French parochiel < Late Latin as above
Explanation
If an issue or a matter is parochial, it is trivial or only concerns a local area. Likewise, a person with a parochial mentality is narrow-minded, or not open to new ideas. Parochial comes to English from Greek through Latin with the meaning "of a parish." As a parochial school is a school that is affiliated with a particular church, the connection is easy to see. In general though, parochial refers to a narrow or limited point of view — that is, an outlook that extends no further than the limits of the parish. You may feel that there is no room in your life for the parochial attitudes of the older generation. Let's hope you remain open-minded as you age!
Vocabulary lists containing parochial
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Parochial rivalries will spill into bitter social media warfare.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2023
On March 18, 1964, Marise Ann Chiverella left for school, carrying canned goods to give to her teacher, a nun at St. Joseph’s Parochial School in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2022
For a short time, Lanza attended St. Rose Parochial School, but left in a mutual parting and returned to Newtown public schools.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2018
Parochial schools are allowed to operate with far fewer guidelines than taxpayer-supported public schools.
From Washington Times • Jul. 12, 2015
But this is a small abuse in comparison of other parochial misapplications, for a proof of which I refer my reader to a treatise of mine, entituled, Parochial Tyranny.
From Second Thoughts are Best: Or a Further Improvement of a Late Scheme to Prevent Street Robberies by Defoe, Daniel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
