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narrow-minded

narrow-minded

25 5.1
Not willing to accept ideas or ways different from their own
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɛroʊˌmaɪndɪd/
translation icon : intolerante
  • We tend to think of success only in terms of income, but that's a simplistic, narrow-minded view.
  • narrow-minded nationalism
  • narrow-minded view
  • too narrow-minded

And I realized it's just how how, you know, narrow minded I was being so.

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Examples

  • I'm not gonna let you make me out to be some narrow-minded woman right now.

  • Many individuals in the United States still have a narrow-minded view of Africa south of the Sahara.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Right now, my son needs me to protect him from narrow-minded people motivated by fear.

  • Why do you give a damn about what these narrow-minded villagers think?

  • I was mostly silent, for I didn't want to appear narrow-minded or preach to him.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She's infuriating and stubborn and narrow-minded.

  • That's a narrow-minded attitude.

  • So, for all the nay-sayers here, get over your narrow-minded, ignorant selves and get informed!

    Blog text (4)
  • It's almost like Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell here is bagging on Congress for having such a narrow minded view of let's fix this.

  • It's narrow-minded to assume that everyone shares your beliefs and values.

Synonyms

narrow
vsnarrow-minded
181 2.6

Limited in range or what it covers, often about ideas

is specifically about unwillingness to accept different ideas and beliefs
intolerant
vsnarrow-minded
64 4.6

Not willing to accept people who have different opinions or beliefs

adds an emphasis on narrowness and lack of openness rather than only disagreement
bigoted
vsnarrow-minded
  • Offensive
44 7.8

Showing strong, unfair dislike of people with different beliefs or backgrounds

is similar but framed as general lack of openness rather than intense bias
opinionated
vsnarrow-minded
30 5.5

Showing strong ideas and not willing to listen to others

is defined by unwillingness to accept different ideas rather than mere strong belief
small-minded
vsnarrow-minded
  • Offensive
17 6.5

Not willing to accept new ideas and quick to judge others

is more general, focusing on overall intolerance rather than pettiness
insular
vsnarrow-minded
14 8.1

Not open to new ideas and people from outside a small community

is about intolerance broadly, not only cultural or social isolation
close-minded
vsnarrow-minded
11 5.5

Not willing to think about new ideas or other people's views

is the general concept of lacking tolerance and flexibility rather than only rigidity
closed-minded
vsnarrow-minded
9 5.2

Not willing to accept new ideas or different opinions

is framed as a general lack of tolerance and mental flexibility
hardheaded
vsnarrow-minded
6 6.7

Refusing to change your mind even when shown evidence

is less about stubbornness and more about intolerance and closed views
unsympathetic
vsnarrow-minded
5 6.3

Not willing to accept new ideas or change

focuses more on intolerance and rigid thinking rather than simple distance
blinkered
vsnarrow-minded
3 8.1

Not willing to consider other ideas or views

is about unwillingness to accept differences rather than mere lack of view
hidebound
vsnarrow-minded
  • Offensive
3 9.9

Not willing to accept new ideas because of old traditions

is about simple unwillingness to accept different ideas, not only tradition
illiberal
vsnarrow-minded
2 8.2

Not willing to accept other people's opinions or beliefs

is more about narrowness and lack of flexibility across ideas
unreconstructed
vsnarrow-minded
2 9.5

Still holding old beliefs and unwilling to change

is about current lack of tolerance and flexibility rather than specifically old-fashioned views
unreceptive
vsnarrow-minded
1 6.3

Not willing to listen to or accept new ideas

is broader, highlighting a general unwillingness to accept different beliefs
pinheaded
vsnarrow-minded
  • Offensive
1 8.0

Not willing to accept different ideas or change

is broader, focusing on overall intolerance not just pettiness
strait-laced
vsnarrow-minded
1 7.8

Very strict about behavior and dress

is broader, covering intolerance beyond moral strictness
exclusivistic
vsnarrow-minded
9.8

Accepting only one group or idea and not allowing other views

is about lacking tolerance generally rather than active exclusion of groups
closed
vsnarrow-minded
4.1

Not willing to accept new ideas or opinions

expresses a broader sense of intolerance and mental inflexibility

Antonyms

80 3.7

Ready to listen to new ideas and accept different views

72 3.2

Accepting of people and ideas that are different

4 3.5

Open to different opinions and ways of life

How Narrow-Minded

bigoted
  • Offensive
44 7.8
intolerant
64 4.6
narrow-minded
25 5.1
tolerant
72 3.2
broad-minded
4 3.5
open-minded
80 3.7

Surface Forms

narrow-minded positive

Morphology

narrow-minded = narrow + minded (transparent) = narrow + mind + ed

The structure 'narrow' + 'minded' (having a narrow mind) directly yields the meaning 'intolerant or limited in outlook', which learners can infer from the components.

Etymology

Narrow-minded comes from the parts narrow ('not wide') and mind ('thinking'). So a narrow-minded person has a 'not wide' mind, which helps you remember they are not willing to accept ideas or views that are different from their own.