hidebound

American  

[hahyd-bound] / ˈhaɪdˌbaʊnd /

adjective

1. narrow and rigid in opinion; inflexible.

   a hidebound pedant.

2. oriented toward or confined to the past; extremely conservative.

   a hidebound philosopher.

3. (of a horse, cow, etc.) having the back and ribs bound tightly by the hide.

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hidebound British  

/ ˈhaɪdˌbaʊnd /

adjective

1. restricted by petty rules, a conservative attitude, etc

2. (of cattle, etc) having the skin closely attached to the flesh as a result of poor feeding

3. (of trees) having a very tight bark that impairs growth

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Other Word Forms

• hideboundness noun

Etymology

Origin of hidebound

First recorded in 1550–60; hide ² + -bound ¹

Example Sentences

Sanitary Commission was paid for by contributions from the public; it was also, at first, opposed by the hidebound Army Medical Department.

From The Wall Street Journal

An industry as hidebound as this one is going to need time to retool and figure out ways to address shifting consumer tastes.

From The Wall Street Journal

The hidebound company, overly reliant on mainframe computers, had been out-hustled by nimbler makers of desktop computers and software.

From The Wall Street Journal

And away from it, he has set out to reshape the hidebound culture of English cricket to suit the 2020s.

From The Wall Street Journal

The agency was just like the Saginaw he’d run from, Dudek said: an insular, hidebound place where everyone knew everyone and they all thought innovation would cost them their jobs.

From Salon