Broad-Minded: Meaning, Usage, Collocations, and Examples

Easy explanation

If someone is broad-minded, it means they don’t judge people harshly for being different. They are accepting of diverse opinions, cultures, or sexualities. It’s like “open-minded,” but with stronger emphasis on tolerance of unconventional or taboo things.

Grammatical formation

• Adjective: broad-minded.
• Comparative: more broad-minded.
• Superlative: most broad-minded.
• Noun: broad-mindedness.

Meanings and nuances

1. Tolerance — open to different beliefs, religions, or customs.
2. Acceptance — nonjudgmental about alternative lifestyles or choices.
3. Progressive attitude — often linked to liberal or modern social views.
4. Sexualopenness — sometimes implies being tolerant of non-traditional sexuality, nudity, or sexual practices.

With prepositions and variants

• broad-minded about: “She is broad-minded about relationships.”
• broad-minded toward: “He is broad-minded toward cultural differences.”

Common collocations

broad-minded person, broad-minded view, broad-minded attitude, broad-minded society, broad-minded approach, broad-minded tolerance

Idioms and neighboring expressions

• “to each their own” — respecting others’ choices
• “live and let live” — letting people live how they want
• “open to everything” — very accepting

Word comparisons

• broad-minded vs open-minded: both tolerant, but broad-minded is slightly stronger, often tied to social taboos (e.g., sexuality).
• broad-minded vs tolerant: tolerant = passive acceptance; broad-minded = active willingness to embrace.
• broad-minded vs liberal: liberal = political/social ideology; broad-minded = personal quality.
• broad-minded vs permissive: permissive can mean “too lenient”; broad-minded = tolerant but not careless.

Real-life examples

• “He is broad-minded and respects cultural diversity.”
• “The society became more broad-minded about divorce.”
• “Her broad-minded attitude helped her fit in abroad.”
• “They are broad-minded parents who accept their children’s choices.”
• “Broad-minded leaders encourage inclusivity.”

Sample sentences

1. “She is broad-minded about cultural differences.”
2. “The teacher encouraged a broad-minded discussion.”
3. “A broad-minded society embraces diversity.”
4. “He is broad-minded when it comes to religion.”
5. “They praised her broad-minded views on sexuality.”
6. “Broad-mindedness helps reduce prejudice.”
7. “He is not broad-minded about political issues.”
8. “The city is known for its broad-minded atmosphere.”
9. “They wanted a broad-minded approach to education.”
10. “Broad-minded attitudes often challenge old taboos.”

Synonyms

open-minded, tolerant, liberal, inclusive, progressive, accepting, unprejudiced, unbiased, nonjudgmental

Antonyms

narrow-minded, close-minded, intolerant, conservative (rigid sense), prejudiced, bigoted, judgmental

Related terms

tolerance, inclusivity, diversity, open-minded, acceptance, liberal, permissive

Connection to sexuality

Yes. Broad-minded is often used in sexual contexts, describing someone who is tolerant of sexual freedom, non-traditional relationships, or behaviors considered taboo in conservative societies. For example, “broad-minded about nudity” or “broad-minded views on same-sexmarriage.”

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