small-mindedness

noun

as in bigotry
stubborn or intolerant adherence to one's opinions or prejudices the small-mindedness of her parents would never allow them to accept a son-in-law of a different religion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 small-mindedness 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, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-mindedness
  1. bigotry
  2. intolerance
  3. prejudice
  4. dogmatism
  5. sectarianism
  6. narrow-mindedness
  7. illiberalism
  8. bias
Noun
  • For example, O’Donnell has staunchly defended Israel and condemned bigotry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The nod to purity emphasized the paint brand’s relationship to cleanliness and virtue, and possibly other notions of bigotry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bigotry
Noun
  • In a study published in 2019, Kendall and his colleagues showed that the more a child’s uncertainty intolerance was reduced by treatment, the more their anxiety fell and their ability to function improved.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Histamine intolerance is when histamine from food overwhelms the body’s ability to break it down, Hwang explained.
    — Lauren Finney Harden, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of intolerance
Noun
  • The permit application from J7 Ready Mix was denied with prejudice during a hearing in Austin.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
  • All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven’t just lingered—they’ve metastasized.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of prejudice
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
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of narrow-mindedness
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
Noun
  • Because this was a scoping review, which summarizes existing research rather than testing a treatment directly, the researchers could not make clinical recommendations or fully assess the risk of bias.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Although much of his lineup leaned heavy-handed or overly undone, the most notable bias looks were the ones designed for ease, modernity and lightness.
    — Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bias

Browse Nearby Words

small-minded
small-mindedness
smallness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Small-mindedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-mindedness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All