1
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
it took a while for some of the more narrow-minded members of management to be persuaded to modernize the dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
narrow-minded people who instinctively feared and shunned those from different cultures
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of narrow-minded
The deficient vice of being open-minded is being narrow-minded.
—
Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Knowledge-wise, science may be advancing, but, politically, its powers of persuasion are in retreat, in a moment defined, in many ways, by ignorance and narrow-minded grievance.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Its opposite—illiberal—means stingy, narrow-minded, intolerant, provincial, unenlightened, and using government to insure the flourishing of only the few.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
That is something that has always struck me as strange and narrow-minded.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Of the trio, Bernadette was written as the strictest rule-follower — possibly even the most narrow-minded.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Apr. 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
Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Knowledge-wise, science may be advancing, but, politically, its powers of persuasion are in retreat, in a moment defined, in many ways, by ignorance and narrow-minded grievance.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Its opposite—illiberal—means stingy, narrow-minded, intolerant, provincial, unenlightened, and using government to insure the flourishing of only the few.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
That is something that has always struck me as strange and narrow-minded.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 June 2025
Of the trio, Bernadette was written as the strictest rule-follower — possibly even the most narrow-minded.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-minded
Adjective
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Students have a narrow window to unlock access to training that could dramatically shape their post-grad trajectory.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
For decades, OPOs have been bulky systems with narrow ranges.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Or if that is not parochial enough, there are some decent Carabao Cup ties on Tuesday, with Manchester United’s conquerors Grimsby Town going to Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace hosting Millwall, a replay of last season’s bruising FA Cup clash.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Now, fashion is very parochial and very predictable.—
James Fallon,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Antoni, who once ran a Twitter account featuring bigoted attacks and conspiracy theories and who economists across the political spectrum say is unqualified, has suggested suspending the Bureau’s monthly job report altogether.—
Marianne Cooper,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But Target’s response frustrated supporters of gay and transgender rights, who said the company caved to bigoted pressure.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This personal blender can whip up breakfast smoothies, sauces and dips, salsas, omelets, and more thanks to its small but mighty 250-watt power base and stainless steel cross blade.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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Among its 14 plant oils are argan kernel and rice bran, which regulate sebum production and loosen dead skin cells, respectively—and, together, leave your pores looking significantly smaller and your skin significantly smoother.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One particularly notable viral video featured the son of a provincial government minister posing in front of a tree made from boxes of luxury labels including Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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The provincial assembly for the Gandaki province in Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, was set on fire, as well as the Siraha District Court in southeast Nepal, and at least a dozen government buildings across the Rupandehi province and the Gautam Buddha International Airport in the area.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The newspaper reported at the time that Zinn has a criminal record dating back to 1989 that includes dozens of convictions for petty crimes such as criminal trespass, theft of services, interfering with a police officer and disturbing the peace.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The petty back-and-forth continued throughout the interview and escalated to the point that Dash threatened to get physical with CTG.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The military that took over Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent amid worsening Islamist militant violence in the West African country.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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The Slow Burn of Modern Taste Low-caf is not just a compromise for caffeine-intolerant souls.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The structure is stale and insular, with glaring blind spots.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When 17 children from one classroom inexplicably run out into the night, a frightened insular community starts pointing fingers at their young schoolteacher (Julia Garner) and the sole survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher).—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Narrow-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-minded. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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