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.
Gazing out onto Prince William Sound with its stunning scenery had this narrow-minded city-and-car guy bitten by the cruise bug. David Dickstein, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2025 The Grammys have always prized a narrow-minded, classic sense of musicianship: deft songwriting, big vocals, live instrumentation. Justin Curto, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025 Some people associate a frugal spender with a narrow-minded person who is a tightwad, a cheapskate, a penny-pincher, and worse of all an outright scrooge. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025 People are going to take things and run with them and be narrow-minded or whatever or take something out of context. Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2024 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

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 Feb. 2025.

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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