What this suffix does
-minded forms compound adjectives describing how someone thinks: open-minded, narrow-minded, like-minded, strong-minded.
ESEN
Suffix · forms adjectives
-minded
Describes someone's way of thinking: open-minded (accepting of new ideas) versus narrow-minded (closed off, intolerant).
In Spanish: de mente / mentalidadIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Not the same as -hearted
-minded describes how someone thinks (rationally, ideologically); -hearted describes their emotions. Someone can be warmhearted AND narrow-minded at the same time, they are different dimensions.
How it is formed
Adjective + minded, almost always hyphenated. The most common ones:
- open + mindedopen-minded
- narrow + mindednarrow-minded
- like + mindedlike-minded
How it is pronounced
-minded
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -minded
In a phrase
- openopen-mindedShe's very open-minded about trying new things.
- narrownarrow-mindedDon't be so narrow-minded, at least try the food first.
- likelike-mindedHe joined a club of like-minded hikers.
- strongstrong-mindedShe's strong-minded and doesn't change her opinion easily.
- singlesingle-mindedHis single-minded focus on the goal impressed everyone.
Common mistakes
openminded (no hyphen)
open-minded (hyphenated)
Most -minded compounds are hyphenated: open-minded, narrow-minded, strong-minded. "Single-minded" and "like-minded" always take a hyphen. Some dictionaries also accept closed forms, but the hyphenated version is more consistent and widely preferred in edited prose.
confusing -minded with -hearted
they target different aspects of character
"-minded" describes how someone thinks (intellectually, ideologically, strategically). "-hearted" describes emotional disposition (warmhearted = emotionally warm; strong-minded = intellectually firm). A person can be warm-hearted and narrow-minded at the same time — they are independent dimensions of character.
A trick to remember it
"Mind" = mind, literally. Join the adjective with "mind" as-is: open + mind, narrow + mind. One of the most transparent suffixes there is, word-for-word translation almost always works.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"She was single-minded in her pursuit of the championship." What does "single-minded" mean?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -minded mean in English?
The suffix -minded describes someone's way of thinking: open-minded (accepting of new ideas) versus narrow-minded (closed off, intolerant). In Spanish it usually maps to de mente / mentalidad.
Can you give an example of a word with -minded?
"open" becomes "open-minded". It is a typical example of the -minded suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-hearted
Describes someone's emotional character: warmhearted (kind, affectionate) and coldhearted (unfeeling, unkind).
-ward / -wards
Turns a direction word into a direction adverb/adjective: inward, outward, forward. Works with almost any direction word, it is productive.
-witted
Describes how quickly someone thinks: quick-witted (sharp, fast-thinking) versus dim-witted (slow, not very sharp).
Learn every English suffix
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