sectarian

[sek-tair-ee-uhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to sectaries or sects.

2. narrowly confined or devoted to a particular sect.

3. narrowly confined or limited in interest, purpose, scope, etc.

noun

1. a member of a sect.

2. a bigoted or narrow-minded adherent of a sect.

sectarian

/ sɛkˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. of, belonging or relating to, or characteristic of sects or sectaries

2. adhering to a particular sect, faction, or doctrine

3. narrow-minded, esp as a result of rigid adherence to a particular sect

noun

1. a member of a sect or faction, esp one who is bigoted in his adherence to its doctrines or in his intolerance towards other sects, etc

Other Word Forms

• sectarianly adverb
• unsectarian adjective
• sectarianism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sectarian¹

First recorded in 1640–50; sectary + -an

Example Sentences

Holding a pen like a gun grimly acknowledges Irish history, opposition to British rule as well as the sectarian Troubles between Protestants and Catholics.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Sharaa has also continued to host extremist foreign fighters, appointing several to senior positions within the military and rewarding them with army divisions, despite their implication in sectarian killings.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Syrian and international monitoring groups reported sectarian massacres, in which entire families were killed by government forces, armed groups allied with the government and armed volunteers, including summary executions.

Read more on Barron's

It held relatively free and fair elections in the past and doesn’t suffer from the types of sectarian rifts associated with states in the Middle East.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"The same neural signature -- reward up, control down under rivalry -- likely generalizes beyond sport to political and sectarian conflicts."

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• factional 
• parochial 
• partisan