Definition of PAROCHIAL (original) (raw)
1
: of or relating to a church parish
our pastor and other parochial leaders
2
: of or relating to a parish as a unit of local government
parochial authorities serve the inhabitants of Louisiana's parishes
3
: confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish : limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region) : provincial, narrow
Did you know?
In the Greek of the New Testament, the word paroikia means "temporary residence in a foreign land" and comes from the Greek word for "stranger": paroikos. Early Christians used this designation for their colonies because they considered heaven their real home. But temporary or not, these Christian colonies became more organized as time went on. Thus, in Late Latin, parochia became the designation for a group of Christians in a given area under the leadership of one pastor—what we came to call a parish in the 14th century. Both parish and its related adjective parochial were borrowed at that time directly from Anglo-French terms that had been derived from the Late Latin. We didn't begin to use parochial in its "narrow" sense until the mid-19th century.
Synonyms
Examples of parochial in a Sentence
It has never been clearer that the country's best self is a global inheritance, its worst a parochial self-certainty. —
Jedediah Purdy, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009 There is no patience for the parochial, the small-time, the stay-in-place, not in Los Angeles. —Richard Hoffer, Sports Illustrated, 8 Sept. 2008 … during the mid-1780s, Madison had two great goals. The first was to inculcate an enlightened sense of national interest in legislators whose political instincts were innately parochial. —Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings … , 1996
our pastor and other parochial leaders voters worried about their own parochial concerns
Recent Examples on the Web Under Jiang and Hu, bureaucrats could leverage their leaders’ sense of vulnerability to advance their own parochial interests by pressuring their bosses to adopt particular policies. —Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023 In June 2022, Burrill’s bishop, William Callahan, appointed Burrill the parochial administrator of a parish in La Crosse, Wis. —Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 27 July 2024 The United States’ agenda has also expanded and, at the same time, become more parochial. —Jeremy Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024 Of course, these are parochial American interests, of no importance to Ukrainian conscripts on the front lines, Israelis under siege from Hezbollah rockets, or Taiwanese constructing hardened shelters for their families. —The Editors, National Review, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for parochial 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parochial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English parochiall, from Anglo-French parochial, from Late Latin parochialis, from parochia parish — more at parish
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of parochial was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near parochial
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parochial. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 30 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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