sectarian
/sɛkˈtɛɹi.ən/adjective, noun
sectarian is spelled S-E-C-T-A-R-I-A-N: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sectarian means “Of, relating to, or partial to a sect” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sectarian?
| Letters | 9: S-E-C-T-A-R-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sectarian?
Sectarian appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sectarian?
- UK /sɛkˈtɛəɹi.ən/
- US /sɛkˈtɛɹi.ən/
Sectarian has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sectarian.ogg, En-au-sectarian.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sectarian?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sectarian from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹiən/):
- humanitarian
- Bulgarian
- vegetarian
- authoritarian
- ovarian
- totalitarian
- veterinarian
- bavarian
- egalitarian
- unitarian
- antiquarian
- parliamentarian
Spelled with the same letters in another order: ascertain, cartesian.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sectarian
- more sectarian comparative
- most sectarian superlative
- sectarians plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sectarian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, relating to, or partial to a sect.
We were discussing solutions to the sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shias.
- 2
Dogmatic or partisan.
- 3
Parochial or narrow-minded.
- 4
Bigoted.
noun
- 1
A member of a sect.
- 2
A bigot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sectarian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sektiererisch, Sekten- , parteiisch, dogmatisch , engstirnig, beschränkt |
| Spanish | sectario |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sectarian come from?
From Medieval Latin sectarius + -an. Its corresponding etymology per the first sense is sect + -arian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).