Suffix · forms adjectives
Describes someone's way of thinking: open-minded (accepting of new ideas) versus narrow-minded (closed off, intolerant).
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
-minded forms compound adjectives that describe a person's intellectual disposition, values, or characteristic way of approaching the world. Open-minded, narrow-minded, strong-minded, like-minded — each compound describes not just a trait but an entire cognitive and ethical stance. The suffix is especially useful in academic writing, psychology, and character analysis.
Adjective + minded.
This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.
-minded
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
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.
"-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
-minded compounds are powerful because they describe not just a behavior but a consistent pattern of thought. "Open-minded" is not someone who was open once — it is someone whose default mode is openness. In writing and conversation, using -minded compounds signals that you are describing a fundamental personality trait, not a temporary state.
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
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.
"open" becomes "open-minded". It is a typical example of the -minded suffix.
Describes someone's emotional character: warmhearted (kind, affectionate) and coldhearted (unfeeling, unkind).
From Old English "-weard" (direction): forms adverbs and adjectives of direction or tendency. Inward, outward, forward, wayward, awkward.
Describes how quickly someone thinks: quick-witted (sharp, fast-thinking) versus dim-witted (slow, not very sharp).
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.