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
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
Instead of articulating a compelling vision that could spark a broad-minded counterpunch to narrow-minded populism, Newsom has taken an oddly defeatist course in his first podcasts.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 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
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
Instead of articulating a compelling vision that could spark a broad-minded counterpunch to narrow-minded populism, Newsom has taken an oddly defeatist course in his first podcasts.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 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
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The financial leaders who struggle are typically those insisting on narrow specialization when their organizations need broader capabilities.—
Jack McCullough,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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But those authorities are narrower and limit how quickly and to what extent a president can act.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This week, in parochial and Christian schools across Chicago and the suburbs, schoolchildren filed into pews with their classmates to observe church services ahead of the school day.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Funded by political parties and subscribers, such papers were thoroughly partisan and parochial.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Target’s response frustrated supporters of gay and transgender rights, who said the company caved to bigoted pressure.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
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Some were explicit, bigoted and violated xAI’s rules.—
Iain Martin,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Aalo expects to complete construction and reach criticality by July 4, 2026, a timeline the company says demonstrates the speed at which small, modular nuclear reactors can be deployed.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
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Snap up travel essentials, comfy pajamas, small kitchen must-haves, and more gems.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The trial also resulted in five other convictions of hospital and provincial health officials for concealment and omission-of-duty counts, the Buenos Aires Times and Chequeado reported.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Most of the injured were taken to Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre by air and land, a spokesperson for the provincial health organization Shared Health said in a statement to CNN.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Take a trip to 2099, with Star Amerasu’s hysterical and clever social-media videos set in our very petty future.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
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The film explores the petty jealousies and power dynamics that fuel the group of interchangeable young men in Oliver’s orbit, as Matthew gradually becomes famous by association and fights to stay relevant.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The military that took over Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent amid worsening Islamist militant violence in the West African country.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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The Slow Burn of Modern Taste Low-caf is not just a compromise for caffeine-intolerant souls.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The interview is alternately boring and compelling, offering a glimpse into an insular world of privilege and entitlement.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
30 Aug. 2025
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At age 18, Ammon made the decision to leave his Amish family and start a life beyond the insular, Luddite community.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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