adjective
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of, belonging or relating to, or characteristic of sects or sectaries
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adhering to a particular sect, faction, or doctrine
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narrow-minded, esp as a result of rigid adherence to a particular sect
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sectarian
Explanation
Sectarian is a word to describe something having to do with smaller groups or sects. Sectarian violence, for example, would describe violence that has erupted between conflicting groups or sects. Sectarian, as a noun, is a member of a group with a particular set of interests. If you're a religious sectarian, you are loyal to a particular religious sect or group. Unfortunately, there are not many places in the world where sectarian strife and conflict do not exist.
Vocabulary lists containing sectarian
Power Suffix: -arian
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"Ideas Live On" by Benazir Bhutto (2007)
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President Obama's U.N. Address
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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.
"There is no justification, they are sectarian, and certainly in this instance it is well documented it is young people carrying out the attacks," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
That has put pressure on Lebanon’s delicate sectarian balance, with some communities expelling the displaced Shiites or not allowing them to come in the first place for fear of being targeted by Israel.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
President Aoun, a former army chief, had ruled out using force, warning that this could exacerbate sectarian divisions and lead to violence.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
The British, while struggling desperately to keep India from dividing along sectarian lines before and during World War II, were set against the revival of the caliphate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
I ask my fellow-workers at the factory; they know nothing and think I am talking of some crazy Yomesh sectarian.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
