as in traditional
tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions
the hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a Web site, insisting that the inn had done without one for over 150 years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hidebound
That gives them flexibility and the ability to take risks that can’t be made in more hidebound traditional schools.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025
Real, by contrast, are hidebound by tradition, in thrall to their history, the lofty expectations created by their glorious past hardwired into their enduring reality.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 10 Feb. 2025
Those fired were not hidebound deep state bureaucrats merely slurping from the federal trough.
—Southern California News Group Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2025
Belatedly, political classes (and some of Japan’s huge industrial conglomerates) are realizing the economic value, employment potential and soft power impact of a less hidebound and risk-averse film and TV industry.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hidebound
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025
Real, by contrast, are hidebound by tradition, in thrall to their history, the lofty expectations created by their glorious past hardwired into their enduring reality.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 10 Feb. 2025
Those fired were not hidebound deep state bureaucrats merely slurping from the federal trough.
—Southern California News Group Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2025
Belatedly, political classes (and some of Japan’s huge industrial conglomerates) are realizing the economic value, employment potential and soft power impact of a less hidebound and risk-averse film and TV industry.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hidebound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hidebound
Adjective
-
Other times, the mob leaned on more traditional crime tactics — robbery, extortion and assault, including a punch to one victim’s face — to force the card players to pay.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Tight ends fiercely preserve their own history and the nuances of their position, preferring peer-to-peer coaching to more traditional coach/player dynamics.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the years since that race, Gaines has established herself as an unofficial face of conservative attacks on the NCAA, joining a March 2024 lawsuit accusing the association of violating Title IX by allowing trans athletes to compete.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Trump, on the 2024 campaign trail, repeatedly downplayed ties to the controversial conservative playbook Project 2025, but now many of his second-term Administration’s policies mirror it.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
An ultra-orthodox school sat adjacent to the library, and its staff supplied the settlers with sleeping mats and air conditioning for the long night.—
Ryan Byrnes,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The Vatican said Leo will travel to the town of Iznik, modern day Nicaea, for the anniversary and while in Turkey is expected to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew, the spiritual leader of the approximately 300 million Eastern orthodox Christians.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hidebound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hidebound. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share