sectarian

American  

[sek-tair-ee-uhn] / sɛkˈtɛər i ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to sectaries or sects.

2. narrowly confined or devoted to a particular sect.

3. narrowly confined or limited in interest, purpose, scope, etc.

---

noun

1. a member of a sect.

2. a bigoted or narrow-minded adherent of a sect.

sectarian British  

/ sɛkˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. of, belonging or relating to, or characteristic of sects or sectaries

2. adhering to a particular sect, faction, or doctrine

3. narrow-minded, esp as a result of rigid adherence to a particular sect

---

noun

1. a member of a sect or faction, esp one who is bigoted in his adherence to its doctrines or in his intolerance towards other sects, etc

Other Word Forms

• sectarianism noun
• sectarianly adverb
• unsectarian adjective

Etymology

Origin of sectarian

First recorded in 1640–50; sectary + -an

Example Sentences

President Aoun, a former army chief, had ruled out using force, warning that this could exacerbate sectarian divisions and lead to violence.

From BBC

Lebanon has been mired in conflicts and crises for decades, the worst of which was the 15-year civil war that erupted in 1975 and which divided the country into warring sectarian fiefdoms.

From Barron's

It’s difficult to imagine that forcibly collapsing the government of a multiethnic sectarian state of nearly 100 million people produces anything more than a power vacuum.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Iraq, after a U.S. invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, sectarian leaders stepped into the vacuum.

From Los Angeles Times

The British, while struggling desperately to keep India from dividing along sectarian lines before and during World War II, were set against the revival of the caliphate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• factional
• parochial
• partisan