sect
a body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious denomination.
a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.
(in the sociology of religion) a Christian denomination characterized by insistence on strict qualifications for membership, as distinguished from the more inclusive groups called churches.
any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or under a doctrinal leader.
Origin of sect
1Other words from sect
- subsect, noun
- un·der·sect, noun
Words that may be confused with sect
- sects , sex
Other definitions for -sect (2 of 3)
a combining form with the meaning “cut,” used in the formation of compound words bisect, dissect, exsect.
Origin of -sect
2Other definitions for sect. (3 of 3)
section.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sect in a sentence
Some men refuse their daughters to irreligious men, or to men who are not of their own sect or subsect.
Folkways | William Graham Sumner
British Dictionary definitions for sect (1 of 2)
/ (sɛkt) /
a subdivision of a larger religious group (esp the Christian Church as a whole) the members of which have to some extent diverged from the rest by developing deviating beliefs, practices, etc
often derogatory
a schismatic religious body characterized by an attitude of exclusivity in contrast to the more inclusive religious groups called denominations or Churches
a religious group regarded as extreme or heretical
a group of people with a common interest, doctrine, etc; faction
Origin of sect
1British Dictionary definitions for -sect (2 of 2)
to cut or divide, esp into a specified number of parts: trisect
Origin of -sect
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for sect
A religious group, especially one that has separated from a larger group. Sect is often a term of disapproval.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse