1
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
a small-minded man only concerned with his own well-being
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
resented the small-minded people who automatically opposed every new idea
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small-minded
In Mohit’s telling, Laxman seems merely grubby and small-minded.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
These are not small-minded accomplishments.
—Michael Stepner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
The momentum behind these ventures — the idea, unpalatable to many of us small-minded, provincial types, of taking domestic league matches abroad — remains strong.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
But small-minded individuals, who happened to be blocking our path at any point in time, my goal was to get around them.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The message Fountain Hills council members sent was petty and small-minded
If it was meant to force the paper to straighten up and fly right, at least in their eyes, the council members failed.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 7 June 2025
Identify 5 specific behaviors, habits, or thought patterns that would seem ridiculous or small-minded to someone playing at a higher level.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
The way that Pliny saw it, astrology was small-minded fatalism, in which people glommed onto meaningless symbols for a sense of identity.
—Maya Layne, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Any negative pushback in this moment will be interpreted as a small-minded and eminently self-serving response that puts parochial party interests above the interests of the country.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
These are not small-minded accomplishments.
—Michael Stepner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
The momentum behind these ventures — the idea, unpalatable to many of us small-minded, provincial types, of taking domestic league matches abroad — remains strong.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
But small-minded individuals, who happened to be blocking our path at any point in time, my goal was to get around them.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The message Fountain Hills council members sent was petty and small-minded
If it was meant to force the paper to straighten up and fly right, at least in their eyes, the council members failed.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 7 June 2025
Identify 5 specific behaviors, habits, or thought patterns that would seem ridiculous or small-minded to someone playing at a higher level.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
The way that Pliny saw it, astrology was small-minded fatalism, in which people glommed onto meaningless symbols for a sense of identity.
—Maya Layne, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-minded
Adjective
-
The shape of a pot affects drainage, with taller, narrower pots draining better than shorter, wider ones.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, previously handled about 20 percent of the world’s oil shipments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Research shows the disparity between vaccination coverage in private and parochial/religious versus public schools is that private and parochial/religious schools tend to have higher rates of exemptions to vaccinations for moral and religious beliefs.—
Kar-Hai Chu,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But quietly, the third-year forward had put himself in position for a more parochial reserve reward, one that caught him unaware.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The interior and education ministries held a joint school security meeting in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday, that was attended by both ministers and all 81 of Turkey’s provincial governors, as well as police chiefs and provincial education directors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a school canteen employee and a police officer hurt, according to Sildak, who added that five of the teachers and students were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital because their conditions were more serious.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It was found [that] the actual tumor was pretty small.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On Sunday Hungary’s far-right leader Viktor Orban fell in an election after 16 years of some of the most bigoted and, by many accounts, corrupt rule in post-Soviet Eastern Europe.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
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On top of the bigoted sound bites from public officials that routinely make national news, it is deeply entrenched in America’s political discourse and local governance.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There are some pretty gross, petty and violent acts of revenge.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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However, curiosity can interrupt that narrow-minded thinking, according to Maya Nehru, MA, LMFT, a psychotherapist offering services in anxiety and trauma in San Diego and Washington.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
25 Mar. 2026
-
This is a valid concern, which is why the solution must be comprehensive, not narrow-minded.—
Jerry Presley,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The strongest lingering image of Vernon in the broader culture is still the bearded woodsman who retreated to the wilderness with a broken heart and returned with a gnomic, insular album that would against all odds come to define its era, or at least one tendency within it.—
Mitch Therieau,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
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Westmont is a small, insular community often selected for its security — when are people going to start moving out?—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-minded. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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