Cliquish
//ˈkliːkɪʃ// adj
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to a clique.
- 2 Tending to associate with a small and exclusive group.
"But Mr. Kleinzahler, 55, noted both for poems that jarringly marry the high and the low and for keeping his distance from the New York illuminati, has found himself late in his career in a rather awkward spot: the cusp of respectability in the cliquish world of poetry."
Adjective
- 1 befitting or characteristic of those who incline to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior wordnet
Example
More examples"But Mr. Kleinzahler, 55, noted both for poems that jarringly marry the high and the low and for keeping his distance from the New York illuminati, has found himself late in his career in a rather awkward spot: the cusp of respectability in the cliquish world of poetry."
Etymology
From clique + -ish.
More for "cliquish"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.