as in cliquish
bound together by feelings of very close association
a clannish family that can be rather cool to outsiders
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Recent Examples of clannish
In Afghanistan, legitimate authority has traditionally been highly localized, a product of consensus rather than brute force, and firmly anchored in tribal, clannish, and kinship structures.
—
Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2011
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2011
The most successful of those managers have carved out a niche catering to the valley’s famously clannish billionaire elites.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2023
There are a broad spectrum of other possible explanations for the disparate outcomes Boegeman cites, including religious differences, geographic differences, even — gasp — the clannish propensity of ethnic groups to band together and create — or retain — their unique cultural traditions.
—Star Tribune, 19 July 2021
The Trumps are nothing if not clannish.
—Hari Kunzru, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020
See All Example Sentences for clannish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clannish
Adjective
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Her willpower wobbling, the 37-year-old nurse and mother of three pushed her shopping cart forward, giving the friendly salesman a wide berth.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2025
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Adopted in 2020, the Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities created a classification system for business and investors to know what activities are considered green or climate friendly.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Leading this loud and lovingly close-knit multigenerational family is Suga Mama (Jo Marie Payton), the feisty grandma and matriarch.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
15 Jan. 2025
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The kids in the long run have remained close-knit.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The panel did not stray from their earlier guesses for him, throwing out familiar names like Dave Matthews, Daryl Hall, and Pat Monahan of Train once more.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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There was also a memorandum of agreement about the move signed on Monday by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek, according to one source familiar.—
Aaron Navarro,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clannish. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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