clannish

American  

[klan-ish] / ˈklæn ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a clan.

2. inclined to associate exclusively with the members of one's own group; cliquish.

   the clannish behavior of the original members of the country club.

   Synonyms:

   narrow, aloof, distant, snobbish, exclusive

3. imbued with or influenced by the sentiments, prejudices, or the like, of a clan.

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clannish British  

/ ˈklænɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of a clan

2. tending to associate closely within a limited group to the exclusion of outsiders; cliquish

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Other Word Forms

• clannishly adverb
• clannishness noun
• unclannish adjective
• unclannishly adverb
• unclannishness noun

Etymology

Origin of clannish

First recorded in 1770–80; clan + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

O’Hanley compared the home’s current vibe to “Animal House”: “We’re quite clannish in that regard, but it’s not deliberate — it just seems to shake out that way.”

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2022

As each story revolves around the perils and power of racial or clannish identity, their sequels would naturally call for advances in inclusion of all kinds.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2022

Vance attributes his grandparents' clannish and protective behavior to those roots.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2020

The characters in this movie — as in a lot of Farr’s other scripts — are clannish, and fiercely protective of their own territory.

From The Verge • Mar. 29, 2019

All Hobbits were, in any case, clannish and reckoned up their relationships with great care.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien