narrow-minded

adjective

nar·​row-mind·​ed ˈner-(ˌ)ō-ˈmīn-dəd How to pronounce narrow-minded (audio)
ˈna-(ˌ)rō-
: not willing to accept opinions, beliefs, behaviors, etc. that are unusual or different from one's own : not open-minded
narrow-mindedly adverb
narrow-mindedness noun

Examples of narrow-minded in a Sentence

it took a while for some of the more narrow-minded members of management to be persuaded to modernize the dress code narrow-minded people who instinctively feared and shunned those from different cultures
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The art world was dismissing the popular reception of Photorealism with a similarly narrow-minded explanation: Ordinary people, whose experience was being represented, liked it. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024 That’s the rigorous—or narrow-minded—judgment that . . . Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024 But the pacing is zippy; the animation is lush and textured, especially when the series, unexpectedly and wonderfully, veers into the supernatural; and the characterization tweaks are inspired, especially those that will make the most narrow-minded people mad. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024 Reducing African artists to only Afrobeats because of their ethnicity is narrow-minded and completely disregards the diversity of the various African musical styles that these musicians represent and explore through their artistry. Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 13 Sep. 2024 And this kind of thinking is just so narrow-minded and patronizing. Shadi Hamid, Washington Post, 25 July 2024 As such, strong rulers keep narrow-minded bureaucrats from leading their country into costly miscalculations. Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023 Despite the ill-conceived and narrow-minded arguments made by those who believe that atonement and rehabilitation are inconsequential, my colleagues and I in the criminal justice system have seen firsthand how that thinking is irrefutably false. Aisha Braveboy, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2024 Sweepingly ridiculed as one of 2012’s worst albums, that judgment, five years later, feels wildly narrow-minded. Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of narrow-minded was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near narrow-minded

Cite this Entry

“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrow-minded. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

narrow-minded

adjective
nar·​row-mind·​ed
ˌnar-ō-ˈmīn-dəd
narrow-mindedness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on narrow-minded

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