If you say that someone has a nimby attitude, you are criticizing them because they do not want something such as a new road, housing estate, or prison built near to where they live. Nimby is an abbreviation for 'not in my backyard'.
[informal, disapproval]
...the usual nimby protests from local residents.
NIMBY in British English
(ˈnɪmbɪ)
noun acronym for
not in my back yard: a person who objects to the occurrence of something if it will affect him or her or take place in his or her locality
NIMBY in American English
(ˈnɪmbi), Nimby (ˈnɪmbi)
US
noun
1.
opposition by nearby residents to a proposed building project, esp. a public one, as being hazardous, unsightly, etc.
2.
a person who opposes such a project
Word origin
n(ot) i(n) m(y) b(ack)y(ard)
Examples of 'NIMBY' in a sentence
NIMBY
The usual nimby argument implies we are against all development.