Bible Dictionary
HIGHMINDED
High-minded formerly meant proud, arrogant, or conceited. The New Testament warns against this attitude, especially among the wealthy and those who overestimate themselves.
Definition
High-minded formerly meant lifted up in a bad sense: proud, arrogant, haughty, or conceited. Although modern usage may give the word a favorable meaning, its biblical use warns against an inflated estimate of oneself.
Biblical Usage
Romans 11:20 commands, “Be not highminded, but fear.” First Timothy 6:17 warns the rich not to be high-minded, while related passages use the word for being puffed up or wrapped in conceit.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>hi'-mind-ed: In modern usage denotes elevation of mind in a good sense, but formerly it was used to denote upliftedness in a bad sense, pride, arrogance. It is the translation of hupselophroneo, "to be highminded," "proud," "haughty" (Ro 11:20, "Be not highminded, but fear"; 1Ti 6:17, "Charge them that are rich .... that they be not highminded"); of tuphoo "to wrap in mist or smoke," trop., to wrap in conceit, to make proud, etc. (2Ti 3:4, "Traitors, heady, highminded," the Revised Version (British and American) "puffed up"; compare 1Ti 3:6; 6:4). "No one can be highminded without thinking better of himself, and worse of others, than he ought to think" (Crabb, English Synonyms).</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>