If you describe someone as parochial, you are critical of them because you think they are too concerned with their own affairs and should be thinking about more important things.
[disapproval]
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Parochial is used to describe things that relate to the parish connected with a particular church.
She was a secretary on the local parochial church council.
More Synonyms of parochial
parochial in British English
(pəˈrəʊkɪəl)
adjective
1.
narrow in outlook or scope; provincial
2.
of or relating to a parish or parishes
Derived forms
parochialism (paˈrochialˌism)
noun
parochiality (paˌrochiˈality)
noun
parochially (paˈrochially)
adverb
Word origin
C14: via Old French from Church Latin parochiālis; see parish
parochial in American English
(pəˈroʊkiəl)
adjective
1.
of or in a parish or parishes
2.
restricted to a small area or scope; narrow; limited; provincial
a parochial outlook
Derived forms
parochialism (paˈrochialˌism)
noun
parochialist (paˈrochialist)
noun
parochially (paˈrochially)
adverb
Word origin
ME parochiele < OFr parochial < ML(Ec) parochialis < LL(Ec) parochia: see parish
Examples of 'parochial' in a sentence
parochial
The other is connected to fees that should have gone to the parochial council for churchyard monuments.
The Sun (2015)
It was a family affair rather than a parochial one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The audience is far less parochial than it used to be.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
She was gone to the parochial school.
Elizabeth Gaskell North and South (1855)
Unless there is a general representative quality to representations their significance can only be of extremely parochial interest.
Collins, Richard Television - policy and culture (1990)
He took out a third of jobs and made the business less parochial and more open to user feedback.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
From these usually parochial concerns, government stood mostly aloof.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Beyond parochial concerns, there are breathtaking battles ahead.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Everybody knows that sport should be about parochial self-interest rather than silly old excellence.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
And then we talked about some of the conflicts between what he learned in science class and religion class at his parochial school.
Christianity Today (2000)
This will mean the industry putting aside parochial interests and planning how to stop a long-term decline in business.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The less our representatives are bound to the demands of nationhood, the less parochial their outlook is likely to be.
George Monbiot THE AGE OF CONSENT (2003)
Its clauses include matters of parochial concern, such as fish traps on the Thames.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
parochial
British English: parochial ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone as parochial, you are critical of them because you think they are too concerned with their own affairs and should be thinking about more important things.
American English: parochial
Brazilian Portuguese: provinciano
Chinese: 思想偏狭的
European Spanish: estrecho de miras
French: borné
German: engstirnig
Italian: provinciale
Japanese: 視野が狭い
Korean: 편협한
European Portuguese: provinciano
Latin American Spanish: estrecho de miras
(adjective)
Definition
narrow in outlook
the stuffy and parochial atmosphere of a small village
Synonyms
provincial
The audience was dull and very provincial.
narrow
a narrow and outdated view of family life
insular
The old image of the insular Brit is slowly starting to change.
limited
restricted
petty
I think that attitude is a bit petty.
narrow-minded
He's just a narrow-minded bigot.
inward-looking
small-minded
their small-minded preoccupation with making money
parish-pump
Opposites
national
,
international
,
liberal
,
catholic
,
broad
,
universal
,
world-wide
,
cosmopolitan
,
all-embracing
,
broad-minded
Additional synonyms
in the sense of insular
Definition
not open to change or new ideas
The old image of the insular Brit is slowly starting to change.
Synonyms
narrow-minded,
prejudiced,
provincial,
closed,
limited,
narrow,
petty,
parochial,
blinkered,
circumscribed,
inward-looking,
illiberal,
parish-pump
in the sense of narrow
Definition
limited in range, extent, or outlook
a narrow and outdated view of family life
Synonyms
insular,
prejudiced,
biased,
partial,
reactionary,
puritan,
bigoted,
dogmatic,
intolerant,
narrow-minded,
small-minded,
illiberal
in the sense of narrow-minded
Definition
bigoted, intolerant, or prejudiced
He's just a narrow-minded bigot.
Synonyms
intolerant,
conservative,
prejudiced,
biased,
provincial,
petty,
reactionary,
parochial,
short-sighted,
bigoted,
insular,
opinionated,
small-minded,
hidebound,
illiberal,
strait-laced
Nearby words of
parochial
parliamentary
parlour
parlous
parochial
parochialism
parodist
parody
Synonyms of 'parochial'
parochial
Explore 'parochial' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of petty
Definition
small-minded
I think that attitude is a bit petty.
Synonyms
small-minded,
mean,
cheap (informal),
grudging,
shabby,
spiteful,
stingy,
ungenerous,
mean-minded
in the sense of small-minded
Definition
having narrow selfish attitudes
their small-minded preoccupation with making money