clannish
/'klæniʃ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Socially exclusive: Befitting or characteristic of those who are inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. It describes a tendency to associate only with a specific, often closed, group.
- Unified like a clan: Characteristic of a clan, especially in being unified and showing strong loyalty to the group, sometimes to the exclusion of others.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The club had a clannish atmosphere, making it difficult for newcomers to feel welcome.
- Their clannish loyalty meant they always supported each other, even when they were wrong.
- The neighborhood was known for its clannish behavior, with families socializing only among themselves.
Advanced Usage
- "Clannishness" (noun form): The quality or state of being clannish.
- The clannishness of the community was a barrier to integration.
- Used to describe organizations, communities, or groups that are inwardly focused and resistant to outside influence or membership.
Variants and Related Words
- Clan (n): A group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent, or a close-knit group with a strong common interest.
- Clannishly (adv): In a clannish manner.
- The team operated clannishly, rarely sharing information with other departments.
- Clannishness (n): The state or quality of being clannish.
Synonyms
- Cliquish: Forming or belonging to a clique; exclusive.
- Insular: Ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience; parochial.
- Tribal: Characteristic of a tribe or tribes; showing strong loyalty to one's own group.
- Exclusive: Restricted or limited to the person, group, or area concerned; not admitting other things.
Antonyms
- Inclusive: Including all the services or items normally expected or required.
- Open: Allowing access, passage, or a view through an empty space; not closed or blocked.
- Welcoming: Behaving in a polite or friendly way to a guest or newcomer.
- Cosmopolitan: Familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.
Idioms and Phrases
- To circle the wagons: An idiom with a similar connotation of becoming defensive and exclusive to protect a group from perceived outsiders.
- Whenever criticized, the department circles the wagons in a clannish display of solidarity.
- An old boys' club: A term often used to describe a clannish, exclusive network of people with similar backgrounds (often men) who help each other.
- The board of directors was criticized for being an old boys' club, exhibiting clannish favoritism.
Adjective
- befitting or characteristic of those who incline to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior
- characteristic of a clan especially in being unified
- clannish loyalty