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Cult vs Clan - What's the difference?

cult | clan |

As nouns the difference between cult and clan

is that cult is a group of people with a religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society or exploitative towards its members while clan is .

As an adjective cult

is of, or relating to a cult.

cult

English

(wikipedia cult)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A group of people with a religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society or exploitative towards its members.
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  • Devotion to a saint.
  • (lb) A group of people having an obsession with or intense admiration for a particular activity, idea, person or thing.

    • Derived terms

    * cargo cult * cultic * cultist

    See also

    * sect

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of, or relating to a cult.
  • Enjoyed by a small, loyal group.
    • a cult horror movie

    Usage notes

    The term has a positive connotation for groups of art, music, writing, fiction, and fashion devotees, but a negative connotation for new religious, extreme political, questionable therapeutic, and pyramidal business groups.

    Anagrams

    * (l) ----

    clan

    English

    (wikipedia clan)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (anthropology) A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.
  • A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain
  • Any association of people behaving clannishly.
  • (video games) A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.
  • A badger colony.

    • Derived terms

    * clannish * matriclan * patriclan

    Descendants

    * Dutch: (l) * German: (l)