as in factions
a group of people acting together within a larger group
one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of sects
And Hezbollah, as the most heavily armed and violent element of Lebanon’s menagerie of factions and sects, wanted the guns without the responsibility.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sects
Noun
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This extends to the factions and organizations involved.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with leaders of political factions represented in the lower house State Duma at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on September 18, 2025.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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How do members of political parties feel about political violence?—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Contemporaneous evidence that the parties intended a loan and treated it as such is persuasive in court and practical with IRS auditors.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sects. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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