as in factions
a group of people acting together within a larger group
one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sects
Netflix has become the place for documentaries about true crime, but also documentaries about cults and sects.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2026
There have been reports in the media that some other ethnic sects in southern Lebanon have been allowed to stay despite evacuation orders.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
For one, Israel’s targeting and displacement of the Shiite community in southern Lebanon is likely to create friction among Lebanon’s various religious sects.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Shia Islam is the majority religion in Iran, but the constitution recognizes Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity as minority sects, with each represented in parliament.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
With 12 Christian sects, the country is home to the largest proportion of Christians of any nation in the Arab world.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Islam has two major sects that are often in conflict.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2026
His ideas precipitated a tectonic crisis of political legitimacy and unleashed a series of continent-wide wars, sometimes featuring millenarian protocommunist sects like the Anabaptists, who sought to overthrow the social order.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Out of this ethical fog has risen a Silicon Valley theology, split into warring sects.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2026
There have been reports in the media that some other ethnic sects in southern Lebanon have been allowed to stay despite evacuation orders.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
For one, Israel’s targeting and displacement of the Shiite community in southern Lebanon is likely to create friction among Lebanon’s various religious sects.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Shia Islam is the majority religion in Iran, but the constitution recognizes Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity as minority sects, with each represented in parliament.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
With 12 Christian sects, the country is home to the largest proportion of Christians of any nation in the Arab world.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Islam has two major sects that are often in conflict.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2026
His ideas precipitated a tectonic crisis of political legitimacy and unleashed a series of continent-wide wars, sometimes featuring millenarian protocommunist sects like the Anabaptists, who sought to overthrow the social order.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Out of this ethical fog has risen a Silicon Valley theology, split into warring sects.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sects
Noun
-
In the years since, the cartel's two warring factions have ravaged the northern Mexican state in their struggle for territorial control.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has endorsed the talks but his relative silence and non-visibility have created space for Iran’s various internal factions to disagree over the way forward.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s no guarantee that new maps across the country will play out the way two parties hope.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In other words, Visit KC is betting heavily on people choosing to come to Kansas City for everything happening around the matches — Fan Fest, watch parties and the broader atmosphere — not just the games themselves.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sects. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
