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Synonyms

cliquish

American  
[klee-kish, klik-ish] / ˈkli kɪʃ, ˈklɪk ɪʃ /

adjective

  1. associating exclusively with the members of one's own clique; clannish.

  2. tending to divide into cliques.

    a cliquish neighborhood.

  3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a clique.

    narrow, cliquish notions about art.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of cliquish

First recorded in 1850–55; clique + -ish 1

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.

See Examples For:

To me, he was a hero in a cliquish school.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2024

The cliquish culture of private aviation is no friend to the climate, either.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2022

In 2015, after a number of departures, Fortune published an article in which former employees complained about a cliquish, “mean girls” corporate culture.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 15, 2018

The mechanics of this makeshift community are different to those of every other friendship group I’ve been involved in as an adult: we’re very local, committed to everyone’s welfare, and open rather than cliquish.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 6, 2018

He spoke of "society" being mixed in the neighbourhood and of the difficulty of getting people to work together, and "do" things; they were cliquish.

From Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

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