Meanings
adjectivenarrow-minded (comparative more narrow-minded, superlative most narrow-minded)
comparative more narrow-minded · superlative most narrow-minded · alternative narrowminded · alternative narrow minded
- Having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas.
Even Mr. Wilson's speech, excellent as it was, could only condemn the Government's narrow-minded approach for the reasons we have outlined, [...].
1963 June, “Second thoughts on Beeching”, in Modern Railways, page 362 - Intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced.
What GCN has done for prisoners is an act of love, all the more precious because it's done despite the many voices of the narrow-minded who refuse to admit that our humanity remains, even past the prison gates.
1987 December 27, Vernon Maulsby, “Our Humanity Remains”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 24, page 4
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
adjectivecapable of being shocked
Similar
adjectivelacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
Similar
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 狹隘 /狭隘, 偏狹 /偏狭
- 狹隘 /狭隘 (xiá'ài)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- 偏狹 /偏狭 (piānxiá)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- 偏執 /偏执 (piānzhí)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Czech úzkoprsý
- úzkoprsýhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Danish snæversynet, indskrænket
- snæversynethaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- indskrænkethaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- snæversynetintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- intolerantintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- fordomsfuldintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Dutch bekrompen, kleingeestig
- bekrompenhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- kleingeestighaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- enggeestighaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Finnish ahdasmielinen, ahdashenkinen
- ahdasmielinenhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- ahdashenkinenhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- ahdaskatseinenintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
French têtu, borné
- têtuhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- bornéhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- étroit d'esprithaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- intolérantintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
German engstirnig, kleingeistig
- engstirnighaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- kleingeistighaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- beschränkthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- engstirnigintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Hebrew צר אופק
- צר אופק (tsar ofek)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Hungarian szűk látókörű, korlátolt
- szűk látókörűhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- korlátolthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- bornírthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Italian ristretto
- ristrettohaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Japanese 偏狭な, 狭量な
- 偏狭な (henkyō na)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- 狭量な (kyōryō na)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- 偏狭な (henkyō na)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- 狭量な (kyōryō na)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Norwegian bornert, innskrenket
- bornerthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- innskrenkethaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- trangsynthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- bornertintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- innskrenketintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- trangsyntintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Polish ograniczony, ciasny
- ograniczonyhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- ciasnyhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Portuguese mesquinho
- mesquinhohaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Romanian minte îngustă, gândire înapoiată
- minte îngustăhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- gândire înapoiatăhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Russian ограни́ченный, недалёкий
- ограни́ченный (ograníčennyj)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- недалёкий (nedaljókij)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- твердоло́бый (tverdolóbyj)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- узколо́бый (uzkolóbyj)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- с предрассу́дками (s predrassúdkami)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- предвзя́тый (predvzjátyj)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- узколо́бый (uzkolóbyj)intolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Scottish Gaelic cumhang, cumhang
- cumhanghaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- cumhangintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Spanish cuadriculado, de mente cuadriculada
- cuadriculadohaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- de mente cuadriculadahaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- estrecho de mirashaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- carcaintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- carcundaintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Swedish trångsynt, trångsinnad
- trångsynthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- trångsinnadhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- enkelspårighaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- stelbenthaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- trångsyntintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- intolerantintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
- fördomsfullintolerant, bigoted or prejudiced
Tagalog alimbuyugin, may-isip-ipit
- alimbuyuginhaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
- may-isip-ipithaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Ukrainian вузьколо́бий
- вузьколо́бий (vuzʹkolóbyj)having restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Welsh culni
- culnihaving restricted or rigid views, and being unreceptive to new ideas
Cite this entry
APA
narrow-minded. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow-minded
MLA
“narrow-minded.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow-minded. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “narrow-minded,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narrow-minded.
Source: narrow-minded on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.