sectionalism

American  

[sek-shuh-nl-iz-uhm] / ˈsɛk ʃə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. excessive regard for sectional or local interests; regional or local spirit, prejudice, etc.

---

sectionalism British  

/ ˈsɛkʃənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. excessive or narrow-minded concern for local or regional interests as opposed to the interests of the whole

---

Other Word Forms

• sectionalist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sectionalism

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; sectional + -ism

Explanation

Sectionalism is a partiality for a particular place, like when a US politician shows little interest in other countries or when someone who lives in Alaska only cares about policies and laws that directly affect her state. As it's a devotion to just one section of a larger place, sectionalism can give people a somewhat narrow-minded perspective on the world. Sectionalism is a practically provincial devotion to one particular place, and it's usually a little bit irrational in its partiality. Of course, if you live in Hawaii or Paris, a little bit of sectionalism would be completely understandable.

Example Sentences

All of this continued to thrive despite growing national sectionalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

“What we call polarization, they called sectionalism, and in the 1850s there was a growing sense that the sections of the country were pulling apart,” said Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson University.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2025

Legislatures enacted more stringent codes restricting the rights of slaves and free blacks, and sectionalism replaced nationalism as the sharply divided country inched inexorably toward civil war.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2018

It’s easy to find sectionalism in Southern politics before the Civil War, but the most powerful antebellum Southerners — from Andrew Jackson to Jefferson Davis — were nationalists, not separatists.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2016

Not only that, but sectionalism in politics and sectarianism in religion drew men farther and farther apart and made them look upon those of other nations with less and less sympathy.

From The Century of Columbus by Walsh, James J.