Meaning & use
close-minded
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Unwilling to consider new ideas or opinions that differ from your own.
Grammar: Describes a person or attitude; usually used before a noun or after a linking verb like be or seem.
Patterns
- close-minded about something
- a close-minded person
- be close-minded
He's so close-minded about music that he refuses to listen to anything new.
Her close-minded attitude made the discussion difficult.
Don't be close-minded; at least hear what they have to say.
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Showing a narrow, inflexible way of thinking about a whole subject or group.
Grammar: Often used to criticize an institution, policy, or culture rather than one person.
Patterns
- a close-minded view
- close-minded thinking
The school was criticized for its close-minded policies toward foreign students.
That kind of close-minded thinking stops progress.
Word forms
| comparative | more close-minded |
|---|---|
| superlative | most close-minded |
Common combinations
- close-minded about
- She's quite close-minded about other religions.
- close-minded attitude
- His close-minded attitude annoyed the whole team.
- close-minded view
- They hold a close-minded view of modern art.
- refuse to be close-minded
- Try to refuse to be close-minded when you travel.
- deeply close-minded
- The community there is deeply close-minded about outsiders.
Synonyms and how they differ
- narrow-minded
- The most common synonym and slightly more frequent in everyday speech; close-minded stresses a shut-off mind rather than a small range of interests.
- intolerant
- Stronger and more focused on refusing to accept other people's beliefs or identities, not just new ideas.
- bigoted
- Much stronger and negative: it means holding unfair, hostile opinions about a group, which close-minded does not necessarily imply.
- inflexible
- Focuses on refusing to change plans or rules; it can describe things as well as people, unlike close-minded.
Opposites
Word family
- close-mindedness noun
- The quality of being unwilling to consider new ideas.
Commonly confused: close-minded or closed-minded? close-minded or narrow?
close-minded vs closed-minded
A common variant spelling with the same meaning; both 'close-minded' and 'closed-minded' are used, but 'closed-minded' follows the pattern of 'closed' more literally.
close-minded vs narrow
As an adjective, 'narrow' can mean limited in range, but it does not by itself mean unwilling to listen; you need 'narrow-minded' for that.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'close-minded' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Close-minded' is an adjective describing a person's unwillingness to consider new things, so 'is close-minded about' fits. The others misuse it as a verb or adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “close-minded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.