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
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-minded
Adjective
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On closer inspection, Capital Economics said Beijing’s policy is actually narrower in scope than initially feared.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs are defined by their steep, icy, and narrow conditions and the high risk of avalanches.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The move likely seeks to rein in parochial infighting between military branches, which compete for congressional funding every year despite Hegseth and the White House officially controlling the process.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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The disagreement is colored by Maine’s parochial politics.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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New revelations tying the group’s top officers to a trove of racist, violent and bigoted messages present uncomfortable questions about who has been given opportunities to rise within the ranks of the organization and beyond in Kansas politics.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
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The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Viruses, as well as small bits of vegetation and invasive zebra mussel larvae, can hide in the plumbing of your rig.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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Kahn is optimistic that Coach’s focus on a smaller number of affordable, yet consistent products puts it in a better place to manage cost and price increases than its competitors.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Momentum is granted only through external validation and modern college football is anything but provincial.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, the Philippine Revolution’s unlikely embodiment, had evolved from an unknown provincial mayor to become the leader of eight million Filipinos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But, God, to be able to play a Pablo Escobar who was just petty and wanted friends, there was something so stupid and so hilarious about that to me.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
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These can be petty but hard to avoid today.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Israel-Hamas war rattled campuses and spurred disrespect and intolerant behavior on all sides.—
James Druckman,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Daniels insisted the impact of the shutdown on air traffic controllers was not just insular and would continue to impact the aviation sector and broader American economy.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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The recurrent staging only makes the show’s narrative feel more insular, which works fine when there’s forward momentum, but this one is stuck looking backward.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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