small-bore

American  

[smawl-bawr, -bohr] / ˈsmɔlˌbɔr, -ˌboʊr /

adjective

1. of, noting, or relating to a .22-caliber firearm.

2. insular or parochial in scope, attitude, etc..

   small-bore officials.

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small-bore British  

adjective

1. (of a firearm) having a small bore, especially one of less than .22 calibre

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Etymology

Origin of small-bore

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson evoke the small-bore unraveling of new parenthood in the boonies, with Lawrence in particular throwing her whole body into a creeping alienation from one’s spouse and oneself.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Set years before the movies we know and love, the show goes small-bore on spycraft, marital diplomacy and the all-too-real cost of rebellion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

She was criticized for proposing small-bore, pragmatic solutions to sweeping problems, but her decisive fifth vote ensured that her view of the law was dominant for well over a decade.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2023

Many of the squad’s cases have turned out to be decidedly small-bore affairs.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2022

Any system that constricts teachers—holds them to small-bore metrics, punishes them for forces outside their control, discourages their creativity and spontaneity, chips away at their humanity—is a bad system.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove