4 syllables: nar, row, min, ded. Stress on nar.
NAR-oh-meyen-did
/ˈnæɹ.oʊ.maɪnd.ɪd/
Narrow-Minded is pronounced NAR-oh-meyen-did (/ˈnæɹ.oʊ.maɪnd.ɪd/). It has four syllables (nar-row-min-ded), with the stress on "nar". Narrow-minded is an adjective describing a person who is unwilling to consider other ideas, perspectives, or experiences; rigid, prejudiced, and limited in outlook. It characterizes a mindset that resists intellectual breadth and curiosity. The term often carries a negative connotation in discussions about openness and tolerance.
adjectiveNarrow-minded is an adjective describing a person who is unwilling to consider other ideas, perspectives, or experiences; rigid, prejudiced, and limited in outlook. It characterizes a mindset that resists intellectual breadth and curiosity. The term often carries a negative connotation in discussions about openness and tolerance.
"Her narrow-minded views prevented any productive discussion."
"The debate exposed how narrow-minded some participants were about alternative approaches."
" photocopier upgrades were rejected by the narrow-minded group."
Pronounce as /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪn.dɪd/ (US) or /ˈnær.əʊˌmaɪn.dɪd/ (UK). Syllables: NAR - oh - MIND - ed; the primary stress is on the first syllable ‘NAR’, with secondary stress on ‘MIND’. Make the second syllable a light, unstressed ‘oh’ or reduce it slightly. Begin with a short A as in ‘cat’, glide to a long ‘o’ in ‘narrow’ before the stress on ‘mind’. Stay lips neutral-moving toward a closed 'd' ending. Audio reference: you can compare with: Cambridge or Oxford audio for /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪndɪd/.
Common errors: 1) Flattening the second syllable: say ‘nar-ROW-min-ded’ with the ‘oh’ too short. 2) Misplacing stress: place heavy stress on ‘mind’ instead of ‘nar’; maintain primary stress on the first syllable. 3) Blurring the d in ‘minded’: end with a clear, released /d/. Correction tips: practice the sequence NAR - oh - MIND - ed with deliberate pauses; ensure /oʊ/ is a true long vowel rather than a quick schwa. Use minimal pairs like narrow vs. mind to reinforce separation.
US: strong first syllable with clear /ɔː/ or /oʊ/ in ‘narrow’, rhotic /r/ may influence preceding vowel; UK: non-rhotic you may hear a weaker /r/ before consonants; AU: often non-rhotic with wider vowel quality; ensure /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪndɪd/ vs /ˈnær.əʊˌmaɪndɪd/, pay attention to the 'ow' sound and the final -ed is often pronounced as /ɪd/ or /d/ depending on syllable shaping. Accent differences affect vowel length and rhoticity, but the core sequence remains NAR - o - MIND - ed.
It combines a multi-syllable sequence with a diphthong in the second syllable and a stressed root followed by a weak ending. The 'narrow' part includes a rounded /ɔː/ or /oʊ/ that’s easy to mispronounce if you’re not used to diphthongs, and the 'minded' part requires a clean /maɪndɪd/ with a clear d at the end. The challenge is keeping the strong initial stress while not over-articulating the vowel in the second syllable; practice by isolating each phoneme and then building the whole word.
The word’s hyphenation signals two connected syllables processed as a single adjective. The primary stress sits on the first syllable, while the second part carries secondary stress on ‘mind’ due to the compound nature of the term. There are no silent letters; every letter participates in phonemes: /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪndɪd/. A practical tip: in slow speech, articulate NAR sharply, then smoothly transition to the long mid vowel and the 'mind' nucleus to avoid blending.
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US: emphasize rhoticity and the clear /oʊ/ in the second syllable; UK: non-rhotic tendency may reduce /r/; AU: similar to UK with slightly broader vowels; all share the /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪndɪd/ skeleton. Vowel distinctions: US /oʊ/ as true diphthong, UK /əʊ/ sometimes closer to /əʊ/. Consonants: final /d/ is voicelessly released in many dialects? actually voiced; ensure voicing. IPA references: US /ˈnær.oʊˌmaɪndɪd/, UK /ˈnær.əʊˌmaɪndɪd/, AU /ˈnær.əʊˌmaɪndɪd/.
Narrow-minded compounds the adjective narrow with the participial adjective -minded, itself derived from the sense of having a mental disposition or inclination [minded]. The root idea of narrow is from Old English near, coupled with geard, meaning confined or limited; mind ed relates to the disposition or inclination of the mind. The phrase broader use emerged in the 18th–19th centuries as discussions of intellectual openness and prejudice intensified in social and political discourse. The compound likely echoes earlier expressions such as narrow-sighted, narrow-spirited, and narrow-spirited, which appeared in English texts around the same period. The first known uses of narrow-minded as a fixed descriptor for a closed or prejudiced thinker appear in 19th-century prose and letters, aligning with growing liberal thought and critiques of dogmatism. Over time, the term has solidified into a common, widely understood negative label for individuals or attitudes that resist new ideas, cultures, or evidence-based reasoning. The evolution reflects broader social shifts toward inclusivity, while the phrase itself remains a pointed critique of cognitive rigidity rather than a clinical diagnosis.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Narrow-Minded" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Narrow-Minded"
-ded sounds
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