hidebound
Hidebound things — or people — are stuck in the past, unable to change. Your grandmother's hidebound ideas about fashion mean she never leaves the house without a hat and matching purse.
Someone who's painfully old-fashioned, with chauvinistic, inflexible ideas and beliefs about the world can be described as hidebound. A hidebound culture can make a school, family, or workplace difficult and unpleasant for anyone who doesn't fit those narrow-minded standards. In the 16th century, the adjective originally described a condition of cattle, an unhealthy and emaciated state. Hidebound evolved from there, first describing painfully thin people, then those who are "narrow in outlook."
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stubbornly conservative and narrow-mindedsynonyms: traditionalistconservativeresistant to change
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Vocabulary lists containing hidebound
In this autobiography, the South African president describes his childhood, education, and the battles against Apartheid that led to his imprisonment for nearly thirty years.
In this influential essay, Mill examines the nature of liberty as it applies to the individual and society as a whole. Read the full text here.