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What is the opposite of “open-minded”? – Mkhuze, South Africa
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The Merriam-Webster Learner’s Word of the Day is the adjective open–minded. As you may have guessed, open-minded means, “having a mind that is open to new ideas; willing to consider different ideas or opinions.” Here are two sentences with open-minded from the Learner’s Dictionary:
- Try to be open-minded about the changes.
- He's one of the most open-minded people I've ever met.
Since closed is the opposite of open, you won’t be surprised to learn that closed-minded is the opposite of open-minded. Closed-minded means, “not willing to consider different ideas or opinions; having or showing a closed mind.”
There is just one unexpected wrinkle to be aware of: When saying the word closed-minded in running speech, many of us do not fully pronounce the -d in closed, and it sounds more like “close-minded.” Consequently, may people now write the word without the -d, as in: “close-minded.”
If you want to be sure you are correct, spell it as closed-minded. However, don’t be surprised when you see “close-minded.”
I hope this helps.
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