hidebound

adjective

hide·​bound ˈhīd-ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce hidebound (audio)
1
of a domestic animal : having a dry skin lacking in pliancy and adhering closely to the underlying flesh
2
: having an inflexible or ultraconservative character

Did you know?

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.

Examples of hidebound in a Sentence

the hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a website, insisting that the inn had done without one for over 150 years
Recent Examples on the Web The image of a hidebound fundamentalist then gave way to a consensus that Johnson lacked the backbone to lead effectively. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Only a tortuous and hidebound Pentagon bureaucracy was holding it back. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024 In a world that’s still all too sexist, despite interest in diversifying stories and voices, the traditional buddy team of Holmes and Watson can seem hidebound. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 In the State House, Ms. Haley resisted the rules of the state’s famously hidebound political club, said Tom Davis, a Republican and one of a small handful of state senators who have endorsed her. Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 In presenting the story Wilkerson told, as well as the story of Wilkerson herself, DuVernay hopes to remove some barriers and to show that even the most hidebound systems can be shaken. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024 No, that was an outgrowth of the prudish GOP of the era, which sought to impose its hidebound morality on America’s first Boomer president. Noah Rothman, National Review, 4 Jan. 2024 Stuck in a hidebound hometown, Laura, 13, seeks escape in the Internet, befriends Mima, the only person who gets her, as real and virtual worlds entangle. John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023 Critics have pointed to a hidebound mentality in officers who organized a ceremony straight out of a Soviet-era military handbook, in which soldiers stood at attention before a table spread with medals and removed their helmets. Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hidebound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hidebound was in 1603

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near hidebound

Cite this Entry

“Hidebound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hidebound. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hidebound

adjective
hide·​bound -ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce hidebound (audio)
1
: having a dry skin adhering closely to the underlying flesh
a hidebound horse
2
: stubbornly unwilling to change

Medical Definition

hidebound

adjective
hide·​bound ˈhīd-ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce hidebound (audio)
1
: having a dry skin lacking in pliancy and adhering closely to the underlying flesh
used of domestic animals
2
: having scleroderma
used of human beings

More from Merriam-Webster on hidebound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!