as in sectarian
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as in secessionist
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Recent Examples of separatist
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
For decades, the BLA has waged a separatist insurgency that seeks greater political autonomy and economic development in the strategically important and mineral-rich Balochistan region, where the Reko Diq mine and other copper and mineral reserves are located.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Groups of Muslim separatist militants, including Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines, once expressed support for ISIS and have hosted small numbers of foreign militant combatants from Asia, the Middle East and Europe in the past.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for separatist
Adjective
American officials have since tried to distance themselves from the movement, denying any interest in funding it, contrary to separatist assertions.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
For decades, the BLA has waged a separatist insurgency that seeks greater political autonomy and economic development in the strategically important and mineral-rich Balochistan region, where the Reko Diq mine and other copper and mineral reserves are located.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
When competing legitimacy claims—theocratic in the north, separatist in the south, republican in a shrinking center—override pragmatic accommodation, the unitary state does not endure.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Groups of Muslim separatist militants, including Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines, once expressed support for ISIS and have hosted small numbers of foreign militant combatants from Asia, the Middle East and Europe in the past.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for separatist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separatist
Adjective
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Yemen has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves a complex interplay of sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Islamic State is a Sunni group that has targeted Pakistan’s Shiite minority in the past, apparently seeking to stoke sectarian divisions in the majority Sunni country.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Then, David is joined by former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to discuss the Trump administration’s overtures to an Albertan secessionist movement, the harm the Trump presidency has done to the American-Canadian alliance, and how Trump is pushing Canada into China’s arms.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
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An Iowa Republican lawmaker wants to pursue a study on absorbing counties in Illinois, where a secessionist movement has grown fueled by divisions over the Prairie State's policy direction.—
Marissa Payne,
Des Moines Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Such was the case this past weekend, when tens of millions of fans keyed in on the denouement of the college basketball season at the expense of lesser spectacles such as spring football and one notoriously schismatic pro golf startup.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn't recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy's top authority.—
COMPILED BYDEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFFFROM WIRE REPORTS,
arkansasonline.com,
26 Dec. 2023
Noun
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That was Sokolowski’s introduction to a network of sadistic online extremists.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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More than 150 Christians were abducted from three churches in another part of Kaduna in January before being released this week while at least 160 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by Islamic extremists in Kwara state for refusing to be indoctrinated.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Separatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separatist. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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