as in cliquish
bound together by feelings of very close association
a clannish family that can be rather cool to outsiders
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Recent Examples of clannish
This sort of soft, clannish corruption is not a coat of paint that can be stripped from the protectionist architecture; the dysfunction infests the very foundations of it.
—
David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Ambassadorships are often awarded to loyalists and supporters, but this appointment looks particularly clannish.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The model relies on a dramatic shift in relations among officers and prisoners, two historically warring factions in a system built on clannish gamesmanship for survival.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for clannish
David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Ambassadorships are often awarded to loyalists and supporters, but this appointment looks particularly clannish.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The model relies on a dramatic shift in relations among officers and prisoners, two historically warring factions in a system built on clannish gamesmanship for survival.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
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Morgan received high marks for signing veteran Rasheed Walker to a team-friendly contract (one year, $4 million) as a stopgap solution at left tackle while Ikem Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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The service Each staff member has their own unique approach, but across the board, the service is friendly and welcoming.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Her family was, and is, close-knit.—
Andre Mouchard,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Sosa previously revealed that the former DWTS partners — who remained close-knit on social media in the months following Delvey's exit from the show — were on the rocks last fall.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The middle daughter of the family has always felt outside of its cliquey confines, what with Lizzy and Jane forming such a pair and Kitty and Lydia (Molly Wright and Grace Hogg-Robinson) practically sharing a brain.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
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The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As criticism over competitive disparities intensified following the meet, pro-trans activists pushed back with the familiar argument that inclusion matters more than results, while opponents argued female athletes lose opportunities in the process.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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As the adrenaline levels rose on Monday and Tuesday, and the familiar choreography of another British political crisis began to play out—ministerial resignations, spiky statements on X—the collateral damage that Starmer had warned against started to encroach, once again, upon the scene.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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