parochial

[ puh-roh-kee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or financially supported by one or more church parishes:

   parochial churches in Great Britain.

2. of or relating to parochial schools or the education they provide.
3. very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial:

   parochial views; a parochial mentality.

parochial

/ pəˈrəʊkɪəl /

adjective

1. narrow in outlook or scope; provincial
2. of or relating to a parish or parishes

Derived Forms

• paˈrochialˌism, noun
• paˈrochially, adverb
• paˌrochiˈality, noun

Other Words From

• pa·rochi·al·ly adverb
• pa·rochi·al·ness noun
• inter·pa·rochi·al adjective
• inter·pa·rochi·al·ly adverb
• inter·pa·rochi·al·ness noun
• nonpa·rochi·al adjective
• nonpa·rochi·al·ly adverb
• semi·pa·rochi·al adjective
• unpa·rochi·al adjective
• unpa·rochi·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of parochial¹

1350–1400; late Middle English parochialle < Late Latin parochiālis ( parish, -al ¹ ); replacing Middle English parochiele < Anglo-French parochiel < Late Latin as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of parochial¹

C14: via Old French from Church Latin parochiālis; see parish

Example Sentences

Cuomo was lucky to be the governor of New York and therefore in the center of a media world that can be noticeably parochial.

From Washington Post

Nearly 16,000 students at private and parochial schools in the city have been learning in person, with fewer than five cases of suspected in-school transmission, the lawsuit says.

From Washington Post

Beyond that, an estimated 7,000 employees work in roughly 215 private and parochial schools, with an additional 15,000 people employed in child-care centers.

From Washington Post

As a consequence, too many focus on comparatively parochial, short-term concerns over global problems.

From Time

When we hit this point, any previous extrapolations can seem pretty parochial.

From Nautilus

After years at the head of a parochial school classroom, he could no longer distinguish one blond Irish Catholic kid from another.

From The Daily Beast

One enduring lesson of the Holocaust is that antisemitism is not a parochial Jewish interest.

From The Daily Beast

My bias is that Congress tends to be parochial, irresponsible, and self-interested.

From The Daily Beast

When I proposed calling the blog “Zion Square,” which later became “Open Zion,” some supporters said it was too parochial.

From The Daily Beast

Like me, they understand the negotiations as serving petty parochial interests rather than the objective of achieving peace.

From The Daily Beast

The cathedral is the only Spanish parochial church; it cares for two thousand four hundred souls.

From Project Gutenberg

At the port of Cavite is a parochial church, which ministers to over three thousand souls.

From Project Gutenberg

The vicar's wife, still slightly discomposed, launched out into some parochial matter she had wished to mention to him.

From Project Gutenberg

Inside the walls of Manila there is only one Spanish parochial church, namely, the cathedral.

From Project Gutenberg

Parochial church of Santiago, a suburb of Manila, and the souls cared for therein.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• insular
• petty
• sectarian