clannish
adjective
clan·nish
| \ ˈkla-nish
\
\
Definition of clannish
1
: of or relating to a clan
clannish traditions
2
: tending to associate only with a select group of similar background or status
a clannish community
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of clannish in a Sentence
The college faculty can be pretty clannish, so it's difficult to be an outsider there.
a clannish family that can be rather cool to outsiders
Recent Examples on the Web
This clannish pocket of Roseland was packed with first- and second- generation homeowners willing to lend a hand with parenting responsibilities, especially to struggling neighbors. — Madeline Buckley, chicagotribune.com, "11-year-old ‘Yummy’ Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl. Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago.," 29 Aug. 2019 The Oulipo, a diverse if clannish guild that has somehow managed to survive for fifty-eight years, has included both major writers and pedantic hobbyists, and inspired work along the entire range of its members’ capabilities. — Luc Sante, Harper's magazine, "A Crew of Variegated Weirdos," 10 Jan. 2019 They were drawn as lazy, clannish, unclean, drunken brawlers who wallowed in crime and bred like rats. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "When the Irish Weren’t White," 17 Mar. 2018 The Oulipo, a diverse if clannish guild that has somehow managed to survive for fifty-eight years, has included both major writers and pedantic hobbyists, and inspired work along the entire range of its members’ capabilities. — Luc Sante, Harper's magazine, "A Crew of Variegated Weirdos," 10 Jan. 2019 At a time when music has become a clannish activity, the age range, from teens to octogenarian and possibly beyond, was exceptional. — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "The ecstasy of Julius Eastman's ‘Femenine,’ and how angst and anger turn to beauty and grace," 23 May 2018 They were drawn as lazy, clannish, unclean, drunken brawlers who wallowed in crime and bred like rats. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "When the Irish Weren’t White," 17 Mar. 2018 Assortative mating inputs wealth, social connections, and clannish expertise to gain its children entry to private schools, organized extracurriculars, and all sorts of socio-economic advantages. — Rich Benjamin, Esquire, "The Disheartening Politics of Marriage," 13 Sep. 2017 The West Side – solid and loyal, traditional and clannish – takes care of its own. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Even on the West Side, love for Pete Rose is fading," 5 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clannish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for clannish
clannish
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of clannish
often disapproving
: not showing interest in people who are not part of your group or who are not similar to you
See the full definition for clannish in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Keep scrolling for more