narrow-minded

narrow-minded — adjective

1. describing someone who sticks firmly to their own opinions and will not listen t

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing someone who sticks firmly to their own opinions and will not listen to or accept views that are unfamiliar or different from theirs.

Example

Christopher is so narrow-minded about food that he refuses to try anything new.

collocation: narrow-minded + about + topic

The village elders were narrow-minded, so they banned music from other regions at the festival.

copular: [person] + to be + narrow-minded

Common collocations
  • narrow-minded about
  • narrow-minded attitude
  • narrow-minded view
  • narrow-minded person
  • narrow-minded people
  • narrow-minded approach
  • rather narrow-minded
  • too narrow-minded
Synonyms
  • close-minded

    nearly identical in meaning, but slightly less formal; more common in everyday US speech

  • intolerant

    stronger than narrow-minded; suggests active disapproval or hostility toward difference, not just refusal to engage

  • prejudiced

    implies a specific negative bias against a group based on stereotypes rather than general inflexibility

Antonyms
  • open-minded

    the direct opposite; willing to consider new ideas without immediate rejection

  • tolerant

    accepting of differences even when you do not agree with them

  • receptive

    actively open to new ideas or suggestions

Grammar Patterns

narrow-minded + about + noun/gerund

narrow-minded + person/attitude/view (as modifier)

Usage Note

Frequently paired with 'about' to specify the domain of inflexibility, as in 'narrow-minded about immigration policy'. The comparative and superlative forms use 'more' and 'most', not the suffixes -er and -est. A person described this way may also be called 'closed-minded' in less formal contexts.

Common Mistakes

He was narrow-minded and refused to give up on his goal.
He was stubborn and refused to give up on his goal.
stubborn means persisting despite difficulty; narrow-minded means rejecting unfamiliar ideas or lifestyles.
Our teacher is narrow-minded about starting class on time.
Our teacher is strict about starting class on time.
narrow-minded involves rejecting different ideas, not enforcing a rule.

Word family

  • narrow-mindedly
    adverbC1
  • narrow-mindedness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone who rejects difference, but they differ sharply in intensity. 'Close-minded' is a near-synonym of 'narrow-minded' and the two can often be swapped, though 'close-minded' sounds slightly more conversational. 'Intolerant' carries stronger disapproval — an intolerant person actively objects to what is different rather than simply ignoring it. 'Prejudiced' moves from general inflexibility to a specific, unfair bias against a group (for example, 'prejudiced against immigrants'). 'Bigoted' is the strongest of the group, implying aggressive, unreasoning hostility that is often rooted in hatred rather than ignorance. Use 'narrow-minded' when describing a general unwillingness to consider fresh or unfamiliar ideas; use 'prejudiced' or 'bigoted' only when the rejection is specifically directed at a group or person.

close-mindedintolerantprejudicedbigoted

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • narrow-minded way of thinking

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'narrow' (Old English 'nearu', meaning constricted or limited in space) and 'minded' (the past participle of 'mind', from Old English 'gemynd' meaning memory or thought). The compound first appeared in the early 1600s to describe someone whose thinking is limited or constricted — a direct parallel to the older term 'narrow-hearted' (limited in sympathy). By the 1800s the modern meaning of 'intellectually inflexible' was fully established.