Synonyms for clique
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Coterie — A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually having some common characteristic such as lifestyle or…
coterie, gang, faction, circle, in-group, inner circle, party, camp, clan, band, crew, pack, pac US, set, ring, massive, knot, cenacle US, coenacle UK, cabal, junto dated
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually having some common characteristic such as lifestyle or social status, or common purpose; specifically one formed for disreputable purposes, or which purports to be an authority on a particular matter; a cabal.
Near-synonyms: circle, faction, gang
Related words
- Word family
- cliquish cliquism
- Phrases
- clique tree
- Is a kind of
- ingroup
Forms
- Plural
- cliques → coteries, gangs, factions, circles…
Choose the right word
Clique has always an unfavorable meaning. A clique is always fractional, implying some greater gathering of which it is a part; the association breaks up into cliques.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- circle Layla had a large circle of friends but was naive.
- gang A gang of three robbed the bank in broad daylight.
- faction She was a member of the Red Army Faction.
- brotherhood "Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood" is also Haiti's motto.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| clique | falling | |
| circle | rising | |
| gang | rising | |
| faction | steady | |
| coterie | rising | |
| brotherhood | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- set1, pac1
- 4 letters
- band1, camp1, ring1, crew1, pack1, gang1, clan1, knot1
- 5 letters
- party2, cabal2, junto
- 6 letters
- circle2
- 7 letters
- massive2, faction2, coterie3, cenacle
- 8 letters
- coenacle
- 11 letters
- brotherhood3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (party2 = 2 syllables).