1
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
it took a while for some of the more narrow-minded members of management to be persuaded to modernize the dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
narrow-minded people who instinctively feared and shunned those from different cultures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of narrow-minded
Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
The deficient vice of being open-minded is being narrow-minded.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Knowledge-wise, science may be advancing, but, politically, its powers of persuasion are in retreat, in a moment defined, in many ways, by ignorance and narrow-minded grievance.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Its opposite—illiberal—means stingy, narrow-minded, intolerant, provincial, unenlightened, and using government to insure the flourishing of only the few.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
That is something that has always struck me as strange and narrow-minded.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Of the trio, Bernadette was written as the strictest rule-follower — possibly even the most narrow-minded.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Some people associate a frugal spender with a narrow-minded person who is a tightwad, a cheapskate, a penny-pincher, and worse of all an outright scrooge.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
People are going to take things and run with them and be narrow-minded or whatever or take something out of context.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2024
Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
The deficient vice of being open-minded is being narrow-minded.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Knowledge-wise, science may be advancing, but, politically, its powers of persuasion are in retreat, in a moment defined, in many ways, by ignorance and narrow-minded grievance.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Its opposite—illiberal—means stingy, narrow-minded, intolerant, provincial, unenlightened, and using government to insure the flourishing of only the few.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
That is something that has always struck me as strange and narrow-minded.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Of the trio, Bernadette was written as the strictest rule-follower — possibly even the most narrow-minded.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Some people associate a frugal spender with a narrow-minded person who is a tightwad, a cheapskate, a penny-pincher, and worse of all an outright scrooge.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
People are going to take things and run with them and be narrow-minded or whatever or take something out of context.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-minded
Adjective
-
But those plans can be quite narrow and ineffective for addressing flood damage.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Wide, shallow pans allow alcohol to evaporate more quickly than deep, narrow ones.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Aquila served as a parochial vicar in two parishes from 1976 to 1982 and then as pastor at Denver’s Guardian Angels Parish from 1982 to 1987.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Or if that is not parochial enough, there are some decent Carabao Cup ties on Tuesday, with Manchester United’s conquerors Grimsby Town going to Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace hosting Millwall, a replay of last season’s bruising FA Cup clash.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
We’ve all been cast adrift in the cognitive dissonance between the visceral seriousness of the crime and the abject flippancy of the shooter, the brutality of the shooting and the memes reacting to Kirk’s bigoted views.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Antoni, who once ran a Twitter account featuring bigoted attacks and conspiracy theories and who economists across the political spectrum say is unqualified, has suggested suspending the Bureau’s monthly job report altogether.—
Marianne Cooper,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Out-of-state travel that year, though, saw a small decrease compared to 2023.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Ohio State University, which enrolls the most international students in Ohio, reported a 37% drop in first-year international students and a slightly smaller number of total international students this year.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Government officials at the city, provincial, and federal levels made their case for tech investment last week at the All In AI conference in Montreal.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Mthethwa also faced an ongoing probe that heard allegations by a provincial police commissioner who accused him of attempting to obstruct the prosecution of a former head of South Africa’s Crime Intelligence Services who was being investigated for corruption.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In their recommendation, Warner and Kaine said Nachmanoff supervised a team that represented more than 2,500 clients accused of federal violations ranging from petty offenses to capital murder.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Phantom Thread is a masterfully claustrophobic portrayal of a ’50s fashion house, as well as a nuanced depiction of a petty despot ruling over his small kingdom.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And as increasingly militant voices in our culture have joined the ranks, the environment has become even more intolerant.—
Amy Stephens,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
-
In Kimmel’s silencing, some in the MAGAverse see another win against an intolerant Left.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Abloh’s ambition was to open the doors of the insular world of design to younger generations.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
And the fact that lots of these startups ultimately sell to other startups circuitously makes things even more insular.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share