CLIQUE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does clique mean? 

• CLIQUE (noun)
  The noun CLIQUE has 1 sense:

1. an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

  Familiarity information: CLIQUE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLIQUE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

camp; clique; coterie; ingroup; inner circle; pack

Hypernyms ("clique" is a kind of...):

band; circle; lot; set (an unofficial association of people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "clique"):

Bloomsbury Group (an inner circle of writers and artists and philosophers who lived in or around Bloomsbury early in the 20th century and were noted for their unconventional lifestyles)

bohemia (a group of artists and writers with real or pretended artistic or intellectual aspirations and usually an unconventional life style)

brain trust; kitchen cabinet (an inner circle of unofficial advisors to the head of a government)

loop (an inner circle of advisors (especially under President Reagan))

cabal; camarilla; faction; junto (a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue)

junta; military junta (a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power)

maffia; mafia (any tightly knit group of trusted associates)

faction; sect (a dissenting clique)

galere; rogue's gallery (a coterie of undesirable people)

hard core (the most dedicated and intensely loyal nucleus of a group or movement)

 Context examples 

All persons in society, all cliques in society—or, rather, nearly all persons and cliques—ape their betters.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)