narrow-mindedness

noun

as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices the narrow-mindedness of some people prevents them from seeing that not all changes are for the worse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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-mindedness That narrow-mindedness is immediately apparent when Nick asks his congregation to help the group of unhoused people, a little over a dozen souls or so, who live in a makeshift camp on the edge of town. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026 Mann loves a man with an obsession, but this sentiment is about expanding that narrow-mindedness to make space in our lives for others. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-mindedness
  1. bigotry
  2. intolerance
  3. dogmatism
  4. prejudice
  5. sectarianism
  6. small-mindedness
  7. bias
  8. illiberalism
Noun
  • In many places, French’s unapologetic, unvarnished bigotry would be disqualifying.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Even amid extraordinary acts of solidarity, Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Americans were subjected to hatred and bigotry, some of which persists today.
    — Steven Fulop, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • The devastating loss of the coast has opened up the path for a change in the Saudis’ intolerance for dissent within the anti-Houthi coalition, however.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • However, the current leadership at Health and Human Services has demonstrated an intolerance for internal dissenting dialogue — a significant impediment to rapid course correction.
    — Daniel Jernigan, STAT, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of intolerance
Noun
  • When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of dogmatism
Noun
  • The Justice Department wanted to preserve the possibility of bringing the case again, but In his ruling Thursday, Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Hearn cannot be charged again over the same allegations.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The memo demanded that the charges be dismissed without prejudice—meaning that they could later be reinstated.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of prejudice
Noun
  • The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict.
    — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of sectarianism
Noun
  • The show gestures at the classic targets of old-timey sexism, small-mindedness, and nativism—much of it embodied by Gasteyer’s scheming character—but only in the safest possible ways.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of small-mindedness
Noun
  • At Bank of America, Gopalkrishnan said the company evaluates AI implementations across 16 risk dimensions, including privacy, bias, workforce implications and intellectual property.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Without the financial incentive markets provide, social pressure and community biases play more of a role in influencing opinion.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • Resorting to violence merely strengthens the forces of illiberalism and sense of disorder upon which Trumpism feeds.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The signal predicament of our era is the global rise of illiberalism and intolerance.
    — Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of illiberalism

Browse Nearby Words

narrow-minded
narrow-mindedness
narrowness
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Cite this Entry

“Narrow-mindedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-mindedness. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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