closed-minded

adjective

variants or close-minded
chiefly US, disapproving
: not willing to consider different ideas or opinions : having or showing a closed mind
He's becoming increasingly closed-minded in his old age.
a very close-minded attitude

Examples of closed-minded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Because the church holds a lot of sway in this backwoods burg, and unsurprisingly, such couplings are frowned upon by the extremely conservative, extremely close-minded population. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026 Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father and a physician, criticized the medical establishment for being closed-minded about treatments recommended by non-physicians. Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 One of the biggest reasons why candidates fail interviews is because of closed-minded thinking. Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026 More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent. Justin Callais, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026 One of my biggest mistakes in season 45 was being too close-minded and failing to be flexible. Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026 Nearly 7-in-10 independents also described Republicans as mostly closed-minded, while a majority (53%) said Democrats were mostly open-minded. Elena Moore, NPR, 19 Nov. 2025 Nearly 69 percent of independents said Republicans are mostly closed-minded in political conversations, while 53 percent said Democrats generally approach such discussions with a more open-minded attitude. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Closed-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/closed-minded. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on closed-minded

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster