small-minded

[ smawl-mahyn-did ]

adjective

1. selfish, petty, or narrow-minded.

small-minded

adjective

1. narrow-minded; petty; intolerant; mean

Derived Forms

• ˌsmall-ˈmindedly, adverb
• ˌsmall-ˈmindedness, noun

Other Words From

• small-minded·ly adverb
• small-minded·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of small-minded¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

So it was like, you gotta get out because St. Louis is so small-minded.

From Salon

It’s not exactly breaking news that Trump’s delusional, conspiratorial rants are grounded in the most depressing and small-minded kinds of bigotry rather than facts, and that his core audiences like it that way.

From Salon

I think the disappointment was in myself, for thinking that Samir was simply a small-minded chatterer.

From Literature

Part of what makes “Civil War” so powerful is how plausible it is, depicting people in rare moments at their best but more often at their worst, riven by self-interest and small-minded fears.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is really the conduct of a roving band of both small-numbered and small-minded bigots.”

From Los Angeles Times