sectarianize: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very Rare (low-frequency academic/political term)Formal, Academic, Journalistic (Political Analysis)
Quick answer
What does “sectarianize” mean?
to cause people or an institution to become divided along sectarian lines, especially based on religion or politics.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
to cause people or an institution to become divided along sectarian lines, especially based on religion or politics; to make something sectarian.
More broadly, to introduce or emphasize narrow-minded, exclusive adherence to a particular faction, party, or doctrine, leading to division and intolerance.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Usage is equally rare in both varieties.
Connotations
Strongly negative in both, associated with conflict, bigotry, and the breakdown of social cohesion.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency. More likely found in scholarly texts, historical analyses, or high-level political commentary discussing regions with sectarian strife (e.g., Northern Ireland, the Middle East).
Grammar
How to Use “sectarianize” in a Sentence
sectarianize [something] (e.g., The new policy sectarianized the debate.)be sectarianized by [agent] (e.g., The community was sectarianized by extremist rhetoric.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sectarianize” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The new education bill risks sectarianising the school system along religious lines.
- Historians argue that the colonial policy deliberately sectarianised the population.
American English
- The politician's rhetoric threatened to sectarianize the city's neighborhoods.
- We must not let this issue sectarianize our coalition.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable. The related adverb is 'sectarianly', which is exceedingly rare.
American English
- Not applicable. The related adverb is 'sectarianly', which is exceedingly rare.
adjective
British English
- Not applicable. The related adjective is 'sectarian'.
American English
- Not applicable. The related adjective is 'sectarian'.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in political science, sociology, history, and religious studies to describe processes of societal division.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely to be used in casual conversation.
Technical
A technical term within specific academic/policy discourses on conflict and identity politics.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sectarianize”
- Using it as a synonym for 'criticize' or 'separate'. It specifically involves creating divisions based on sect identity.
- Misspelling: 'sectarize', 'sectarianise' (UK spelling variant is acceptable).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very low-frequency, formal word used primarily in academic, historical, or high-level political writing about conflict and division.
The related noun is 'sectarianization', meaning the process of making something sectarian.
Almost never. The term carries a strongly negative connotation, describing the harmful introduction of divisive, exclusive loyalties.
'Polarize' is broader, meaning to divide into two opposing groups or sets of opinions. 'Sectarianize' is more specific, meaning to divide along the lines of specific sects (religious, political factions), emphasizing the narrow, exclusive identity of the groups formed.
to cause people or an institution to become divided along sectarian lines, especially based on religion or politics.
Sectarianize is usually formal, academic, journalistic (political analysis) in register.
Sectarianize: in British English it is pronounced /sekˈteə.ri.ə.naɪz/, and in American English it is pronounced /sekˈter.i.ə.naɪz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms. The word itself is highly specific.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'SECT-arian-ize' -> to turn into a SECT (a exclusive group), to make people think and act only as members of their own narrow sect.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIVISION IS A DISEASE / POLLUTION (e.g., 'sectarianize the political landscape' implies infecting or poisoning it with division).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'sectarianize' most accurately used?