hidebound

[ hahyd-bound ]

/ ˈhaɪdˌbaʊnd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hidebound ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

narrow and rigid in opinion; inflexible: a hidebound pedant.

oriented toward or confined to the past; extremely conservative: a hidebound philosopher.

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

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Nearby words

Origin of hidebound

First recorded in 1550–60; hide² + -bound¹

Related formshide·bound·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hidebound

The GOP is still struggling to shed its hidebound, out-of-touch image, especially with voters not yet drawing Social Security.
Why America Needs Cheney. No, the Other Cheney.|Michelle Cottle|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Change is a necessary part of life, even in hidebound Washington.
Odd Ideas, Short Tempers, Great Abs|Michelle Cottle|January 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She languished in bed and he diagnosed her illness as resulting from the fact that she was "hidebound."
A Backward Glance at Eighty|Charles A. Murdock
Divinity lies all about us, and culture is too hidebound to even suspect the fact.
Talks To Teachers On Psychology; And To Students On Some Of Life's Ideals|William James

Not depraved, certainly, unless you insist on judging it by a hidebound ethic.
Earthsmith|Milton Lesser
He may be a hidebound party man, always voting the party ticket, and swallowing the party platforms whole.
Theodore Roosevelt|Edmund Lester Pearson
How in thunder can I get those narrow-gauge, hidebound Easterners to launch out into business in this country?
The Man From Glengarry|Ralph Connor

British Dictionary definitions for hidebound

hidebound

/ (ˈhaɪdˌbaʊnd) /

adjective

restricted by petty rules, a conservative attitude, etc

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hidebound

hidebound

adj.

1550s, from hide (n.1) + past tense of bind (v.). Original reference is to emaciated cattle with skin sticking closely to backbones and ribs; metaphoric sense of "restricted by narrow attitudes" is first recorded c.1600.