A group of people who identify with each other and interact frequently. An exclusive social group.

The term clique has two levels of significance. In its neutral usage by social researchers it denotes a group of people who interact with each other more intensively than with other peers in the same setting. In its more popular form it has negative connotations, and is used to describe a social group that excludes others on the basis of superficial differences, exercising greater than average amount of peer pressure upon its members. The numerous terms teenagers use to describe themselves and others—such as jocks, druggies, populars, brains, nerds, normals, rappers, preps, stoners, rockers, punks (punx), freaks (phreaks), and skaters—exemplify both levels of meaning in the word "clique." These terms both accurately refer to the activities or qualities the group members share as well as to the exclusiveness of the...