parochialism

American  

[puh-roh-kee-uh-liz-uhm] / pəˈroʊ ki əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. a parochial character, spirit, or tendency; excessive narrowness of interests or view; provincialism.

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Other Word Forms

• parochialist noun
• parochialization noun

Etymology

Origin of parochialism

First recorded in 1840–50; parochial + -ism

Example Sentences

And he makes a claim for the relevance of his project: “These poems rebut the parochialism and tribalism that dog our present, even as they appeal to universal experiences and values.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Yet even in his parochialism, Jefferson's broad-mindedness remained apparent.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2024

In domestic terms, Celtic are good enough to win a fourth title in a row just as they are, but parochialism is the enemy of progress.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2024

“Lady Macbeth” survived a period in which culture became the very thing that its heroine so shockingly resisted: mind-numbing, repressive parochialism.

From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2022

And it implied a startling critique of the academy’s tendency toward parochialism.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez