clique
clique — 名詞
1. a tightly connected social circle whose members keep mostly to themselves and ma
小圈子
排外的小團體
a tightly connected social circle whose members keep mostly to themselves and make it difficult for outsiders to join
During her first week at school, Aiko realised she could not join the popular clique.
開學第一週，Aiko 就發現自己無法加入那個受歡迎的小圈子。
adjective + clique describing social exclusivity
At the office, a clique of senior staff ate lunch and never invited anyone else.
辦公室裡一群資深員工自成小圈子，總是一起吃午餐，從不邀請其他人。
clique of + plural noun group
Ravi felt left out because the clique in his class only talked among themselves.
Ravi 覺得被冷落，因為他班上的小圈子只跟自己人聊天。
A small clique of wealthy families ran the town's social events for years.
一個由富裕家庭組成的小圈子多年來主辦鎮上的社交活動。
Theo warned his sister that the dance group had become an unfriendly clique.
Theo 警告妹妹，那個舞蹈社團已經變成一個不友善的小圈子。
- circle
neutral; simply describes a social group without implying exclusivity
- inner circle
suggests privilege and closeness to a powerful person, often less negative than clique
- cabal
stronger negative connotation; implies secrecy and plotting, usually political
- gang
implies strong loyalty and often territorial or criminal behaviour, not social exclusion
- open group
a set of people that welcomes new members freely
文法句型
clique + of + plural noun (a clique of friends)
adjective + clique (an exclusive clique)
用法筆記
Commonly carries a negative connotation, suggesting the group deliberately excludes non-members. Neutral synonyms like 'group' or 'circle' are safer for positive or neutral descriptions.