variants or straightlaced
as in puritanical
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals a very straitlaced old lady who believed that cleavage was something that should be shown by rock crystals, not respectable women

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples 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 straitlaced These misfit progeny get a shot at redemption, far from their nefarious parents, and attend a straitlaced boarding school teeming with the children of Disney sweethearts. Ew Staff, EW.com, 1 July 2024 This timeless comedic tandem — where Lucy's zany antics collided with Ricky's straitlaced demeanor — kept generations in stitches for a remarkable 180 episodes. James Mercadante and Johnny Loftus, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2023 Compton plays Raina, a young American woman who travels through Greece and aboard a barge with her straitlaced American boyfriend (Gary Collins) and a gay French artist (Gian Pietro Calasso). The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023 Based on the book by Mary Rogers, and a remake of the 1976 film, Disney’s version directed by Mark Waters follows a straitlaced psychologist, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her punk teenage daughter Anna (Lohan), who switch bodies under an accidental spell. Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 5 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for straitlaced 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitlaced
Adjective
  • Babygirl tries to deftly waltz over this minefield of a topic without a sense of puritanical judgement or heavy panting, but with as much emphasis on Romy’s need for this transfer of power to tap into her erogenous zones.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Gein was born in 1906 to an alcoholic father and an allegedly fanatically puritanical mother, according to the MGM+ docuseries Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The Comstock Act is a relic, not just of a more prudish era in American history, but of an age when the sort of individual rights that modern Americans take for granted effectively did not exist.
    Ian Millhiser, Vox, 27 May 2024
  • Emily, perhaps true to her prudish Adderall-y millennial type, is not especially flirty.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
Adjective
  • Going even further back, scholars say that the fascination can be traced to a swirling blizzard of nostalgia, music, popular literature, the rise of Victorian mass culture ‒ and even the Little Ice Age.
    Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Real estate here is no less impressive, ranging from Victorian mansions and traditional farmhouses to sleek, contemporary residences.
    Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Instead of prim shirt dresses and caped gowns, Meghan’s luggage contained relaxed skirts from the affordable Aussie brand Posse, billowing backless maxi dresses, and aviator shades.
    Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The couple shares a son. 09 of 13 Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell) Community star Alison Brie played Pete’s wife, prim and proper daddy’s girl Trudy.
    Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 23 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near straitlaced

Cite this Entry

“Straitlaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitlaced. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

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