Parochial Meaning
/pəˈɹəʊkɪəl/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjPertaining to a parish.
adjCharacterized by an unsophisticated focus on local concerns to the exclusion of wider contexts; elementary in scope or outlook.
Sentence Examples
He is a member of the parochial board.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ attitude made him reject any ideas from outside his small town.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ outlook prevented him from appreciating the diversity of perspectives in the global market.
Word Origin & History
From Anglo-Norman parochial and its source Late Latin parochialis, an alteration of paroecialis (“of a church province”), from paroecia, from Hellenistic Greek παροικία (paroikía, “stay in a foreign land”), later “community, diocese”, from Ancient Greek πάροικος (pároikos, “neighbouring, neighbour”), from παρα- (para-) + οἶκος (oîkos, “house”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"But for men of principle and honour and straightforward thought there could be no middle course and no paltering with petty issues of party or parochial advantage."
— 1918 February 1, Daniel Desmond Sheehan, “Why I Joined The Army”, in Daily Express, London:
"Its atmosphere might have been provincial, but it was never merely parochial."
— 1969, T.C. Smout, A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830, page 341:
"Gay USA would be of interest to both straight and gay audiences, but because it deals with gay people some bookers or distributors might feel that it is too parochial."
— 1977 December 17, Michael Bronski, Arthur Bressan, “Bressan's "Politics Of Celebration"”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 24, page 9:
"The society had apparently been formed the previous year, but as the Cheltenham Spa Railway Society, which sounded rather parochial and unambitious - particularly as (by all accounts) its founders had gathered in a garden shed in the town."
— 2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques Cheltenham (1928)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 60:
"If the vast majority of the citizens of our Southeast Asian countries are subjects rather than parochials, the question is: are they also participants?"
— 2006, Ian Marsh, Democratisation, Governance and Regionalism in East and Southeast Asia:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ attitude made him reject any ideas from outside his small town.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ outlook prevented him from appreciating the diversity of perspectives in the global market.