parochial
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or financially supported by one or more church parishes.
parochial churches in Great Britain.
-
of or relating to parochial schools or the education they provide.
-
very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial.
parochial views; a parochial mentality.
adjective
-
narrow in outlook or scope; provincial
-
of or relating to a parish or parishes
Other Word Forms
- interparochial adjective
- interparochially adverb
- interparochialness noun
- nonparochial adjective
- nonparochially adverb
- parochialism noun
- parochiality noun
- parochially adverb
- parochialness noun
- semiparochial adjective
- unparochial adjective
- unparochially adverb
Etymology
Origin of parochial
1350–1400; late Middle English parochialle < Late Latin parochiālis ( parish, -al 1 ); replacing Middle English parochiele < Anglo-French parochiel < Late Latin as above
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.
“It was very parochial in Philadelphia, part Rust Belt and part ‘Sopranos,’ ” Witte said.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025
The outbreak, predictably, was especially bad in private and parochial schools with high numbers of unvaccinated students.
From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025
Moments later, he says that “it’s the defense of universal values that will hold the country together, and the emphasis on parochial or group values that will break it apart inevitably.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
Instead it said "most gangs in the Caribbean" were "typically parochial, and focused instead on protecting their territory".
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2025
He had inched him up through back alleys and smaller races, bypassing the nationally spotlighted races in favor of slow cultivation and parochial seclusion.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
