Meaning & use
single-minded
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Having one clear goal and putting all your effort into reaching it, without being distracted by other things.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after be: a single-minded athlete; she was single-minded.
Patterns
- single-minded about something
- single-minded in doing something
She was single-minded in her effort to finish the marathon.
His single-minded focus on the exam left no time for friends.
The team showed single-minded determination to win.
Word forms
| comparative | more single-minded |
|---|---|
| superlative | most single-minded |
Common combinations
- single-minded determination
- Her single-minded determination impressed the coach.
- single-minded pursuit
- His single-minded pursuit of profit hurt the staff.
- single-minded focus
- The pianist practiced with single-minded focus.
- single-minded devotion
- She showed single-minded devotion to her work.
- single-minded about
- He is single-minded about saving money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- determined
- This is more general and does not suggest ignoring other things.
- focused
- This is neutral and everyday, whereas single-minded suggests an intense, even obsessive, commitment.
- dedicated
- This stresses loyalty to a cause or job, not shutting out everything else.
- obsessive
- This is clearly negative, implying an unhealthy preoccupation.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: single-minded or simple-minded?
single-minded vs simple-minded
Simple-minded means lacking intelligence and is often insulting, which is very different from single-minded.
Practice
Which phrase shows the closest meaning to 'single-minded'?
Choose one answer.
Single-minded means focused on one aim. Easily distracted is the opposite and slow to understand describes simple-minded.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “single-minded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.