1
as in narrow
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints
a small-minded man only concerned with his own well-being
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
resented the small-minded people who automatically opposed every new idea
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small-minded
Their small-minded nature is justified through closeness, but really, everyone seems miserable, with their connections to Judaism existing in social standing only.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
Clearly, the two men are supposed to represent competing visions of Britishness: the one tolerant and outward-looking, drawing on the country’s rich heritage as a way to move the culture forward, the other entitled and small-minded, invested in the past only as a tool of propaganda.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
This latest incident is yet another example of Trump’s small-minded, black-and-white thinking that denotes a simple mind unable to comprehend or consider policies that exist in the gray areas of governing.
—Robin Epley, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
The customer base is more informed and to make small-minded temporary transactions based on the political climate is the wrong direction for any company.
—Rhett Buttle, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
The latter consist of several cartoon-like locals with high levels of bigotry and stupidity — the kind of small-minded, provincial Frenchmen and women featured in hit Gallic comedies like Serial Bad Weddings or the Tuche series.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2024
Once seen as a promising peacemaker and political reformer, Abbas has steadily devolved into an erratic and small-minded authoritarian with a virtually unbroken record of failure.
—Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2024
Some began noticing similar relics of a bygone time when unscripted television had to stick in a way to a small-minded script.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 31 July 2024
The film, based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel of the same name, centers on the sisters contending with their small-minded small town as well as a curse on the women of their bloodline, whose male partners are doomed to die prematurely.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
Clearly, the two men are supposed to represent competing visions of Britishness: the one tolerant and outward-looking, drawing on the country’s rich heritage as a way to move the culture forward, the other entitled and small-minded, invested in the past only as a tool of propaganda.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
This latest incident is yet another example of Trump’s small-minded, black-and-white thinking that denotes a simple mind unable to comprehend or consider policies that exist in the gray areas of governing.
—Robin Epley, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
The customer base is more informed and to make small-minded temporary transactions based on the political climate is the wrong direction for any company.
—Rhett Buttle, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
The latter consist of several cartoon-like locals with high levels of bigotry and stupidity — the kind of small-minded, provincial Frenchmen and women featured in hit Gallic comedies like Serial Bad Weddings or the Tuche series.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2024
Once seen as a promising peacemaker and political reformer, Abbas has steadily devolved into an erratic and small-minded authoritarian with a virtually unbroken record of failure.
—Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2024
Some began noticing similar relics of a bygone time when unscripted television had to stick in a way to a small-minded script.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 31 July 2024
The film, based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel of the same name, centers on the sisters contending with their small-minded small town as well as a curse on the women of their bloodline, whose male partners are doomed to die prematurely.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-minded
Adjective
-
Last night’s special had a comparatively narrow focus, prioritizing the characters and celebrities that many younger viewers would recognize.—
Esther Zuckerman,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The gap is quite narrow in some places, like Delaware and Maryland, but in places like Kentucky, systemic racial barriers continue to hold people back.—
Ben Berkowitz,
Axios,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This may seem like an impossible task in a world where politics is becoming more divisive, foreign policy more parochial, and social media bubbles more impenetrable.—
Harvey Whitehouse,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
-
For more than a century, religious education had been deeply entrenched in the state; in Cleveland, the parochial system was one of the largest in the country.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The spokesman, Carlos Hernández, said the bodies of 36 men and 15 women had been sent to a provincial morgue set up for the accident.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
10 Feb. 2025
-
The plane, which was contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense, crashed in a rice field about half a mile from a cluster of farmhouses, according to Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster mitigation officer.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Is what he’s done a small sample size thing or something more?—
James Mirtle,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
-
No matter if they’re labeled green, farmers’ or artisans’ markets, the gatherings are a source of one-stop shopping for specialty goods that help patrons kick their cooking up a notch while also supporting small businesses.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Morton agreed to produce Ian’s debut, Society’s Child, the album that would simultaneously propel her to stardom and sacrifice her to bigoted attacks.—
Audra Heinrichs,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
-
The only non-active members of that group not in the Hall of Fame are Roger Clemens, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, and Curt Schilling, whose long history of bigoted and inflammatory remarks hurt his standing with voters over the years.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
What does revoking Biden's security clearance accomplish other than satisfy a petty grievance of a childish man?—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
8 Feb. 2025
-
The purview of his catalogue narrowed, focusing on refining a reputation as a petty king in rap and in relationships.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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The Grammys have always prized a narrow-minded, classic sense of musicianship: deft songwriting, big vocals, live instrumentation.—
Justin Curto,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Piper’s preference for the local culture over her family’s insular wealth evokes Fred Hechinger’s Quinn from that same year, and both Rick and Victoria come across in different ways as stand-ins for Tanya.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
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So is White taking a superficial approach to Thailand, its traditions and its tragedies, or are his insular characters?—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to small-minded
Thesaurus Entries Near small-minded
Cite this Entry
“Small-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-minded. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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