sectionalism

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noun

Promoting the good of one division, department or subgroup over that of the whole.

“Sectionalism is tearing the country apart. Everyone wants the other regions to do the work and pay the taxes while they reap the benefits.”

Similar
provincialismlocalism
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Meanings

nounsectionalism (countable and uncountable, plural sectionalisms)

plural sectionalisms

  1. countableuncountablePromoting the good of one division, department or subgroup over that of the whole.
  2. countableuncountablegovernmentPromoting the good of one region over that of the nation.

    Sectionalism is tearing the country apart. Everyone wants the other regions to do the work and pay the taxes while they reap the benefits.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna partiality for some particular place

Similar
provincialismlocalism
Broader
partialitypartisanship
Also see
localismprovincialism

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From sectional + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sectionalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sectionalism

MLA

“sectionalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sectionalism. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sectionalism,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sectionalism.

Source: sectionalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.