hidebound

adjective

hide·​bound ˈhīd-ˌbau̇nd 

1

of a domestic animal : having a dry skin lacking in pliancy and adhering closely to the underlying flesh

2

: having or reflecting an inflexible or ultraconservative character

hidebound traditions

Did you know?

Hidebound has its origins in agriculture. The adjective, which appeared in English in the early 17th century, originally described cattle whose skin, due to illness or poor feeding, clung to the skeleton and could not be pinched, loosened, or worked with the fingers (the adjective followed an earlier noun form referring to this condition). Hidebound was applied to humans too, to describe people afflicted with tight skin. Figurative use quickly followed, first with a meaning of “stingy” or “miserly.” That sense has since fallen out of use, but a second figurative usage, describing people who are rigid or unyielding in their actions or beliefs, lives on in our language today.

Synonyms of hidebound

• traditional
• conservative
• orthodox

Examples of hidebound in a Sentence

the hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a website, insisting that the inn had done without one for over 150 years

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump expresses confidence that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates. —Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026

Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates. —Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026

Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates. —Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026

Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates. —ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hidebound

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• around
• astound

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

hidebound

adjective

hide·​bound -ˌbau̇nd 

1

: having a dry skin adhering closely to the underlying flesh

a hidebound horse

2

: stubbornly unwilling to change

Medical Definition

hidebound

adjective

hide·​bound ˈhīd-ˌbau̇nd 

1

: having a dry skin lacking in pliancy and adhering closely to the underlying flesh

—used of domestic animals

2

: having scleroderma

—used of human beings