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narrow-minded

adjective

ˈner-(ˌ)ō-ˈmīn-dəd How to pronounce narrow-minded (audio)
Definition of narrow-mindednext
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

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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 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
  1. narrow
  2. parochial
  3. bigoted
  4. small
  5. provincial
  6. petty
  7. intolerant
  8. insular
Adjective
  • The males feed under a narrow, white, waxy coating and mate with females in spring.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • That changed in 2013, when a small, dark body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus passed in front of a star and blinked twice on either side of the main event, revealing two narrow rings around an object barely 250 kilometers across.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of narrow
Adjective
  • Back then the age of discovery was at its peak, and startling new information about what had previously been a very parochial planet was flooding into the academies of Europe and the Americas.
    — Ian Tattersall, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Among the bureaucratic, parochial, pastoral and familial spaces his work takes his clients, a reflection on roots, gentrification and the act of remaining emerges.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of parochial
Adjective
  • Over the five hours that follow, the series tracks what led to the tragedy — specifically, his complicated relationship with his resentful, bigoted next-door neighbor, Clive (David Morrissey).
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Elon Musk, once glorified as a technological genius, has come under fire for making bigoted and antisemitic comments.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of bigoted
Adjective
  • Rooms This is a big hotel, with 177 rooms and suites that range in size and shape from the smallest superior rooms to the impressive top-floor penthouse.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Newsom, in his veto message at the time, cited concerns about stifling innovation and said smaller AI models, which would have been exempt from the law, could also be dangerous.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of small
Adjective
  • An attacker apparently rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the mosque, said Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Rolly Doane Aquino, a provincial disaster response official in South Cotabato province, said three people were killed and six others were hospitalized after the shooting at Banga National High School in the town of Banga.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of provincial
Adjective
  • The good and the bad of democracy — healthy debate and petty political theater — were on display that weekend in Brussels.
    — Esther King, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of petty
Adjective
  • Law student Gemma Jay (Abbie Hern), recruited by the nonsense-intolerant Coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds), also joins the squad.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The association naturally angered the intolerant left, including one X user whose response has since gone viral.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of intolerant
Adjective
  • Recent major outbreaks in Texas, South Carolina and Pennsylvania reveal the threat of measles in undervaccinated, insular communities.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
  • To recover her daughter, Gulzhan must reckon with both the insular community and the darker currents of a heritage that refuses to yield.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of insular

Browse Nearby Words

narrowly
narrow-minded
narrow-mindedness
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Cite this Entry

“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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