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
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 small-minded
All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there’s a hell for you.
—
Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 May 2026
All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there's a hell for you.
—Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
Stedman offers a heartfelt homage to the virtues of rural community and the natural beauty unique to Western Australia, as well as a critique of the strictures and dangers inherent in small-minded communities.
—The Know, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
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
Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 May 2026
All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there's a hell for you.
—Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
Stedman offers a heartfelt homage to the virtues of rural community and the natural beauty unique to Western Australia, as well as a critique of the strictures and dangers inherent in small-minded communities.
—The Know, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-minded
Adjective
-
Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie told CNN that rescue divers were teaching the villagers how to dive out of the cave themselves, as the space is narrow and water levels are not coming down despite efforts to pump the water out.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Delegates to the state conventions don’t mirror the broader electorate, and their candidate selections can often represent more narrow preference of the party base.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, the ever-parochial instincts of Chicago, where neighborhood loyalties rule and aldermen are fiercely protective of their ward domains, means the decision on the location of any future Leo landmark could be contentious.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Besides, the budget has a little something for every lawmaker, with about 2,000 parochial projects sprinkled across the state, the vast majority sponsored by Republicans.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Zvyagintsev, who remains unflinchingly critical of corruption and abuses of power in his homeland, shot Minotaur in Latvia, but set it in a provincial Russian city in which Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov) is a local big shot.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
The park is just across the Alberta provincial line in British Columbia and only about an hour from Banff.—
Kaitlyn McInnis,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
The National Federation of Independent Business has warned that small businesses and consumers who rely on energy, rather than oil giants, will end up holding the bag.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
But as funding from cap-and-invest and the climate bond dwindle, the state must increasingly turn to Cal Fire, which devotes only a small portion of its budget to mitigation work.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Each of them was punched in the face as the attacker yelled out his bigoted remarks, police said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This is a guy who could write these incredibly bigoted figures, and then also write this really searing indictment of American materialism.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When a conversation ends without a real answer, when a situation is explained away rather than actually explained, the discomfort is not neurotic or petty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Through candid interviews with his coaches, doctors, family members and the two great rivals who helped define his career, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the documentary puts its audience at the center of the insular inner circle of one of the most famous athletes on the planet.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Seven in ten people worldwide now have what Edelman researchers describe as an insular trust mindset.—
Jonathan Jordan,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-minded. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
