narrow-minded
Americanadjective
-
having or showing a prejudiced mind, as persons or opinions; biased.
- Synonyms:
- self-righteous, illiberal, intolerant, partial, biased, bigoted
- Antonyms:
- tolerant
-
not receptive to new ideas; having a closed mind.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of narrow-minded
First recorded in 1615–25
Explanation
When someone's narrow-minded, they're intolerant of other people's opinions and experiences. There's no convincing your narrow-minded uncle that Indian cuisine is delicious — he stubbornly insists that only "American" food tastes good. Being narrow-minded means that you've got a rigid and ungenerous perspective on the world. It's narrow-minded to believe that everyone who disagrees with you is wrong. A narrow-minded person can see only their own tiny slice of the world and doesn't attempt to learn about and understand other people's experiences. Prejudiced and biased people are also narrow-minded: "The narrow-minded opponents of integrated schools were on the wrong side of history."
Vocabulary lists containing narrow-minded
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“If we had people in Congress that would just not be so belligerent and not be so narrow minded ... we’d have a lot more success.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2024
Here is a narrow minded, myopic man completely barren of humility.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2018
Is it no longer worth anything once it is an incubator? What a narrow minded way to live a life.
From Time • Dec. 20, 2012
And of course it’s not, but it seems a bit narrow minded or old fashioned or overly literal to think that love has to come from two parents, like water from hot and cold faucets.
From Slate • Oct. 5, 2011
"The public are very narrow minded, and he felt that in certain quarters it might be misunderstood."
From Jaffery by Locke, William John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
