NARROW-MINDED Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

narrow-minded

adjective

ˈner-(ˌ)ō-ˈmīn-dəd

Definition of narrow-minded

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 This wicker man becomes a devoted partner, sparking jealousy and malice in her narrow-minded neighbors, exploring themes of love, cruelty, and societal conformity. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026 However, such an observation is short-sighted and narrow-minded. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026 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 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 See All Example Sentences for narrow-minded

Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-minded

Adjective

Those qualities are attractive, but concentrating exclusively on them directs many investors toward the same narrow set of service companies.

— Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2026
The winning architecture is a stack of narrow intelligences pointed at what each one is good at, coordinated through a harness that knows which one to use when.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of narrow

Adjective

Forget about parochial and divisive issues and personalities.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Private, parochial, and charter school enrollments have surged in recent years, with many yielding better outcomes for students while often spending less per pupil.

— Ciara Jackson, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of parochial

Adjective

Former broadcaster Mark Jones has posted several bigoted messages about Jokic.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Bishara Bahbah, who was once in favor of the Administration, speaks with Isaac Chotiner about his disappointment in the President’s bigoted rhetoric.

— Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of bigoted

Adjective

The Sun’s gravity confines dense plasma, while terrestrial machines must create conditions for useful fusion within a much smaller space.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Ear seeding is a needle-free acupuncture technique that uses small beads held to the ear with adhesive to stimulate specific pressure points.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

In March 2025, provincial liquor boards across Canada pulled American products from their shelves.

— Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
But neither election was a referendum on Carney, whose federal Liberal Party is separate from British Columbia’s provincial Conservatives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of provincial

Adjective

The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
Here, the book loosens its grip on its wholesome view of the Westish clique, letting its characters do several ugly and petty and longed-for things—letting them, in other words, grow up.

— Emma Alpern, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of petty

Adjective

There's nothing that the kind and tolerant left loves more than being unkind and intolerant towards people who have a different political perspective.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Today’s amphibians cannot live in marine environments due to their salt-intolerant skin.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of intolerant

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narrowly

narrow-minded

narrow-mindedness

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“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of narrow-minded

adjective

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