small-minded

American  

[smawl-mahyn-did] / ˈsmɔlˈmaɪn dɪd /

adjective

1. selfish, petty, or narrow-minded.

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small-minded British  

adjective

1. narrow-minded; petty; intolerant; mean

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Other Word Forms

• small-mindedness
  noun
• small-mindedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of small-minded

First recorded in 1840–50

Explanation

Someone who's small-minded has a narrow perspective or very firm, unchangeable opinions on things. It's almost impossible to get a small-minded voter to change his or her mind. If you're small-minded, you have a biased view of the world, and you're probably not very tolerant of those with different opinions or experiences. It's as if small-minded people can't step outside their own perspective to empathize with others. A small-minded governor might want to keep all immigrants out of his state, and someone with a small-minded focus on money won't understand your dream of being a poet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

small-minded

Determined to give her niece a stable upbringing, Aunt Irene unhappily but dutifully left a comfortable life in Ohio to return to her small-minded hometown in the Deep South.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

“I’m sure there are small-minded people in Manhattan, but our show just wasn’t focused on that part,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025

Most of this material doesn't seem political, but it does encourage a form of small-minded narcissism, with the relentless focus on the self.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025

“I love it. It’s gorgeous. I mean, I don’t like the small-minded people that live here. Narrow-minded, narrow boys’ club.

From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024

It was a small-minded and ludicrous insult, sure, but his mocking of my intellect, his marginalizing of my young self, carried with it a larger dismissiveness.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama