If you describe a group of people as a clique, you mean that they spend a lot of time together and seem unfriendly towards people who are not in the group.
[disapproval]
Synonyms: group, set, crowd, pack More Synonyms of clique
clique in British English
(kliːk, klɪk)
noun
a small exclusive group of friends or associates
Derived forms
cliquish (ˈcliquish)
adjective
cliquishly (ˈcliquishly)
adverb
cliquishness (ˈcliquishness)
noun
Word origin
C18: from French, perhaps from Old French: latch, from cliquer to click; suggestive of the necessity to exclude nonmembers
clique in American English
(klɪk; klik)
noun
a small, exclusive circle of people; snobbish or narrow coterie
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈcoterie
Derived forms
cliquish (ˈcliquish) (ˈklikɪʃ; ˈklɪkɪʃ)
adjective or ˈcliquey or ˈcliquy (ˈkliki; ˈklɪki)
cliquishly (ˈcliquishly)
adverb
cliquishness (ˈcliquishness)
noun
Word origin
Fr < OFr cliquer, to make a noise: of echoic orig.
Examples of 'clique' in a sentence
clique
The ruling clique often encompasses people far outside the narrow confines of government.
Butt, Gerald A Rock and a Hard Place (1994)
Explain that people seek out cliques because they feel insecure or crave the protection of the group.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The big gangs have split into smaller cliques making their activities harder to monitor.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was a collection of individuals and small cliques.
The Sun (2015)
You formed this little clique and kept me out.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They were paid to write for a small clique, and did just that.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Other dressing rooms you get cliques, little groups in the corner but this is a family.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Anywhere that you get too many people together, there are going to be cliques and people talking about people.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Mom and Pop, inadvertently form a small clique.
Christianity Today (2000)
There's probably a little clique of about four or five people there sorting out all the deals and haven't they done well?
The Sun (2014)
In other languages
clique
British English: clique NOUN
If you describe a group of people as a clique, you mean that they spend a lot of time together and seem unfriendly towards other people.
He was accepted into the most popular clique in the school.
American English: clique
Brazilian Portuguese: panelinha
Chinese: 小团体
European Spanish: pandilla
French: clique
German: Clique
Italian: cricca
Japanese: 徒党
Korean: 파벌
European Portuguese: panelinha
Latin American Spanish: pandilla
(noun)
Definition
a small exclusive group of friends or associates
The country is run by a small clique of wealthy families.
Synonyms
group
a radical group within the Communist Party
set
the popular watering hole for the literary set
crowd
All the old crowd from my university days were there.
pack
a pack of journalists who wanted to interview him
circle
a small circle of friends
crew (informal)
a motley crew of college friends
gang
Come on over; we've got lots of the old gang here.
faction
A peace agreement will be signed by the leaders of the country's warring factions.
mob
Can you stop your mob tramping all over the place?
clan
a powerful clan of industrialists from Monterrey
posse (informal)
coterie
The songs he recorded were written by a small coterie of dedicated writers.
schism
cabal
He had been chosen by a cabal of fellow senators.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cabal
Definition
a small group of political plotters
He had been chosen by a cabal of fellow senators.
Synonyms
clique,
set,
party,
league,
camp,
coalition,
faction,
caucus,
junta,
coterie,
schism,
confederacy,
conclave
in the sense of circle
Definition
a group of people sharing an interest, activity, or upbringing
a small circle of friends
Synonyms
group,
company,
set,
school,
club,
order,
class,
society,
crowd,
assembly,
fellowship,
fraternity,
clique,
coterie
in the sense of clan
Definition
a group of people with common characteristics, aims, or interests