hidebound
adjective
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Hidebound has its origins in agriculture. The word, which appeared in English as hyde bounde in the 16th century, originally described cattle that, due to illness or poor feeding, had skin that clung to the skeleton and could not be pinched, loosened, or worked with the fingers. Hidebound has also been applied to humans - both literally, to describe people with tight skin, and figuratively. In its earliest figurative usage, hidebound meant "stingy" or "miserly." That sense has since fallen out of use, but a second figurative usage, describing people who are rigid or unyielding in their actions or beliefs, lives on in our language today.
Synonyms
Examples of hidebound in a Sentence
Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024
For a moment, bodies as hidebound as the Supreme Court and the papacy looked as if they might be rehabbed into vehicles for social justice.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
The hedge fund blames Southwest leaders, portraying them as hidebound and insensitive to changing consumer tastes.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024
The presidential debates have in the past been hidebound affairs – and with good reason.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hidebound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hidebound. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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hidebound
adjective
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hidebound
adjective
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