clique
C1Formal/Colloquial
Definition
Meaning
A small, exclusive group of people with shared interests or goals who are often unwelcoming to outsiders.
A tightly knit social group within a larger organization or society, typically perceived as self-serving or snobbish.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term almost always carries a negative connotation, implying exclusion, snobbery, or unhealthy group cohesion. It is not used neutrally for any small group.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is used identically in both varieties with the same core meaning and negative connotation.
Connotations
Strongly negative in both British and American English, suggesting elitism and exclusion.
Frequency
Slightly more common in American English, but well-established in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be in a/the ~form a ~break up/into a ~dominated by a/the ~Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Old boy's network/clique (UK)”
- “Break into the clique”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to an exclusive group of senior managers making decisions without wider consultation, e.g., 'The company's strategy was set by a small management clique.'
Academic
Used in sociology and political science to describe small, powerful groups within institutions.
Everyday
Commonly used to describe exclusive social groups in schools, workplaces, or communities.
Technical
In graph theory, a 'clique' is a subset of vertices all adjacent to each other, a neutral technical term.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The new students tended to clique off by themselves at lunch.
- She cliqued with the other art students immediately.
American English
- The freshmen cliqued up based on their hometowns.
- In high school, people often clique together for security.
adjective
British English
- The club had a very clique-y atmosphere, which put newcomers off.
- Her behaviour was seen as rather cliquish.
American English
- The sorority was known for its cliquey behavior.
- He hated the cliquish dynamics of the office.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The girls in my class are a small clique.
- He felt excluded because he wasn't part of the popular clique at school.
- The board was controlled by a tight-knit clique of founding members.
- The political clique that had dominated the party for decades was finally overthrown in the internal election.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CLIQUE as CLICKing together. People in a clique 'click' so well, they shut others out.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL GROUPS ARE CONTAINERS (a closed circle, an inner sanctum).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation to 'клан' (clan), which implies family/ethnic ties. A closer equivalent is 'замкнутый круг' or 'тесная компания', but the negative connotation of 'clique' is often captured by 'клика', a direct borrowing with the same meaning.
Common Mistakes
- Using it neutrally (e.g., 'We have a nice clique of friends.' – Incorrect). Confusing spelling with 'click'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following best describes a 'clique'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost never. Its default connotation is negative, implying exclusivity and snobbery. In the technical context of mathematics (graph theory), it is neutral.
A 'group' is neutral, while a 'clique' specifically refers to a small, exclusive group that is unwelcoming to outsiders.
It is used informally (e.g., 'They cliqued together'), but it is less common than the noun form and considered by some to be non-standard or colloquial.
In American English, it is commonly pronounced as /klɪk/, rhyming with 'click'. The British pronunciation /kliːk/ (like 'cleek') is also understood but less common in the US.