narrow-mindedness

noun

as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices the narrow-mindedness of some people prevents them from seeing that not all changes are for the worse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of narrow-mindedness That narrow-mindedness is immediately apparent when Nick asks his congregation to help the group of unhoused people, a little over a dozen souls or so, who live in a makeshift camp on the edge of town. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026 Mann loves a man with an obsession, but this sentiment is about expanding that narrow-mindedness to make space in our lives for others. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow-mindedness
  1. bigotry
  2. intolerance
  3. dogmatism
  4. prejudice
  5. sectarianism
  6. small-mindedness
  7. bias
  8. illiberalism
Noun
  • And yet, most describe a campus not consumed by bigotry but having a vibrant Jewish community – and a university that has made missteps but seems committed to building something new.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026
  • As a piece of theater, the dialogue between the two men often lands on the heart like a wry, platonic romance — and the moments in which both take a stand against the bigotry of some of Seastone’s callers are suddenly and acutely poignant.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • In 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) is a young man in Grenada at a time when Spain is lurching uncomfortably towards an ever-increasing spiteful intolerance of homosexuality.
    — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Paying attention to which foods trigger certain symptoms may help identify potential food sensitivities or intolerances, LaValle noted.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of intolerance
Noun
  • When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of dogmatism
Noun
  • Of course, one is inevitably loaded with expectations and prejudices, but the ideal of letting the work teach you how to consider it, as the philosopher Stanely Cavell counseled, is a useful starting point.
    — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Misty is a long-ago Emmy winner whose career has slipped through her fingers, in part because of reckless behavior on and off the set and and in part because of racist and ageist prejudices in casting.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of prejudice
Noun
  • The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict.
    — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of sectarianism
Noun
  • Kingsolver makes this a more complicated notion by gradually revealing Livia’s secrets as well as her mother’s, and the two characters’ interactions exist in a realm beyond a simple critique driven by rural sexism or small-mindedness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The show gestures at the classic targets of old-timey sexism, small-mindedness, and nativism—much of it embodied by Gasteyer’s scheming character—but only in the safest possible ways.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of small-mindedness
Noun
  • Recruitment materials provided by the district promoted confidence-building and leadership activities, including confronting bias and challenging stereotypes.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Then, entities like White Circle could possibly form a coalition to help detect AI threats in real time, without suffering from biases.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • Resorting to violence merely strengthens the forces of illiberalism and sense of disorder upon which Trumpism feeds.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The signal predicament of our era is the global rise of illiberalism and intolerance.
    — Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of illiberalism

Browse Nearby Words

narrow-minded
narrow-mindedness
narrowness
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Cite this Entry

“Narrow-mindedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow-mindedness. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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