Sectarian
/sɛkˈtɛəɹi.ən/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of a sect.
"An American sectarian, who has always lived within the high walls and in the close atmosphere of our intense sect-life here, and has always been accustomed to the dragonism of sect-authority and sect-jealousy, —is utterly amazed when for the first time he looks over his native sect-walls and comes to see the freedom of thought and utterance within the old churches of Europe."
- 2 a member of a sect wordnet
- 3 A bigot.
Adjective
- 1 Of, relating to, or partial to a sect.
"We were discussing solutions to the sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shias."
- 2 Dogmatic or partisan.
- 3 Parochial or narrow-minded.
- 4 Bigoted.
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to or characteristic of a sect or sects wordnet
Example
More examples"The now ubiquitous occurrence of sectarian violence is the product of growing tensions between the country's different ethnic groups."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin sectarius + -an. Its corresponding etymology per the first sense is sect + -arian.