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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Oliver Twist
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Long Walk to Freedom
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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.
While the state of town centres might once have been dismissed by some Westminster politicians as a parochial concern, there does now seem to be an awareness of how crucial the issue is to voters.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
“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
We have been able to build and maintain global alliances because other countries trusted that they were dealing with a nation that was not simply driven by its own parochial interests and bottom line.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2025
He had moved from a more nationalistic, all-encompassing theme of African unity to a more parochial one addressed to the Xhosa people, of whom he was one.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
