sect
1 Americannoun
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a body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious denomination.
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a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.
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(in the sociology of religion) a Christian denomination characterized by insistence on strict qualifications for membership, as distinguished from the more inclusive groups called churches.
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any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or under a doctrinal leader.
abbreviation
noun
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a subdivision of a larger religious group (esp the Christian Church as a whole) the members of which have to some extent diverged from the rest by developing deviating beliefs, practices, etc
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derogatory
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a schismatic religious body characterized by an attitude of exclusivity in contrast to the more inclusive religious groups called denominations or Churches
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a religious group regarded as extreme or heretical
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a group of people with a common interest, doctrine, etc; faction
combining form
Other Word Forms
- subsect noun
- undersect noun
Etymology
Origin of sect1
1300–50; Middle English secte < Latin secta something to follow, pathway, course of conduct, school of thought, probably noun derivative of sectārī to pursue, accompany, wait upon, frequentative of sequī to follow
Origin of -sect2
From Latin sectus, past participle of secāre “to cut”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The second of eight children in a religious family, his father was a mid-ranking cleric from the Shia branch of Islam, the dominant sect in Iran.
From BBC
The narrative begins with a religious ritual that situates her as a member of Syria’s minority Alawite sect, a variant of Shi’a Islam.
From Los Angeles Times
Nearly all those reported missing are members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam that makes up about 10% of Syria's population and to which the ousted president belongs.
From BBC
The church has been thrown into crisis since more than 1,500 current and former members of the sect contacted a hotline set up by campaign group, Advocates for The Truth, in 2023.
From BBC
The sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam whose members make up one of the country's biggest religious minorities.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
