noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK, US:/sɛkˈtɛɹ.i.ən.ɪz.əm/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S EH0 K T EH1 R IY0 AH0 N IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Rigid adherence to a particular sect, denomination, ideology, or party.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
They were discussing sectarianism between Shias and Sunnis.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A political system in which power is shared among religious sects based on a constitutional formula distributing public offices among these sects.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: government, politics
Examples
In Lebanese sectarianism, one half of the members of parliament are Christians and the other half are Muslims.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a narrow-minded adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he condemned religious sectarianism
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: denominationalism
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: narrow-mindedness, narrowness
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English sectarian Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English sectarianism From sectarian + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
طَائِفِيَّة
(ṭāʔifiyya)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Armenian:
աղանդավորություն
(aġandavorutʻyun)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Chinese Mandarin:
宗派主義 /宗派主义
(zōngpàizhǔyì)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Finnish:
lahkolaisuus
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
French:
sectarisme
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Galician:
sectarismo
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
German:
Sektierertum
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Japanese:
セクト主義
(sekuto-shugi)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Japanese:
分派主義
(bunpashugi)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Kazakh:
сектанттық
(sektanttyq)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Persian:
فرقهگرایی
(ferqe-gerâyi)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Polish:
sekciarstwo
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Russian:
секта́нтство
(sektántstvo)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Spanish:
sectarismo
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Swedish:
sekterism
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Uyghur:
مەزھەپچىلىك
(mez'hepchilik)
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
Vietnamese:
chủ nghĩa bè phái
— rigid adherence to a particular sect, party or denomination
