fuddy-duddy 1 of 2

noun

ˈfə-dē-ˌdə-dē How to pronounce fuddy-duddy (audio)
Definition of fuddy-duddynext
as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas a fuddy-duddy who thought that anyone too young to vote shouldn't be out past 8:00 p.m.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fuddy-duddy

2 of 2

adjective

as in stodgy

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Example 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 fuddy-duddy
Noun
How consumers -- especially younger drinkers -- answer them will determine whether an industry long defined by fuddy-duddy pretense can find its footing in 2026 and beyond. — ABC News, 22 June 2026 In the years that followed, American landscape painting was shuffled off to storage to make room for modernism, and paintings like Church’s, with their glassy finishes and profuse detail, came to seem the embodiment of fuddy-duddy. — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026 For someone who’s constantly on speakerphone, Tommy sure is a fuddy-duddy about using it correctly. — William Earl, Variety, 30 Nov. 2025 To some, Superman is a fuddy-duddy in a cape. — Ken Makin, Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2025 The good news is that for every fuddy-duddy like myself who can’t seem to get on board with crowdfunding kids’ lives, there are twice as many generous, kind-hearted individuals willing to give a little—or a lot—toward schools, sports, and charities. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuddy-duddy
  1. conservative
  2. stodgy
  3. veteran
  4. dowdy
  5. fogy
  6. ossified
  7. stick-in-the-mud
Noun
  • Especially because Quigley’s district contains the lakefront liberal voters who backed Johnson over Paul Vallas in the 2023 runoff election, when the latter struggled to beat back attacks of being a closet conservative.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2026
  • The pledge did not immediately satisfy hardline conservatives, who ground operations in the House to a halt last week.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of conservative
Adjective
  • But too often that has become shorthand for a stodgy and unresponsive sector that fails to respond to customer demand.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • Its direction is stodgy and unimpressive, and its screenplay stilted and mawkish.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
Definition of stodgy
Noun
  • Last month, veteran Hollywood producer Roy Lee got three calls in a single day from executives at three different studios.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • In addition, veteran forward Andrew Wiggins’ two-year extension worth $34 million with the Heat also became official on Monday.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of veteran
Adjective
  • Like sparks igniting, the result is a piece that feels alive with energy rather than a dowdy relic of the past.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 17 May 2026
  • Reed was not the typical dowdy or frumpy critic.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Definition of dowdy
Noun
  • There’s no old fogey-ness to Lorne.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
  • For the benefit of us old fogies?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of fogy
Adjective
  • These had a head dominated by large eyes and a partially ossified jaw—but again, no external gills.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026
  • But rather than simply repeat the even-then ossified list of events leading to the invention of photography and the medium’s later innovations, the book uses a series of stories, reminiscences, and tall tales to describe how photography transformed everyday (and not so everyday) experience.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of ossified
Noun
  • One only has to think about the British fight against Nazism to be reminded that it was made of imperialists, constitutionalists, stick-in-the-mud aristocrats, and the socialists who first helped put Winston Churchill into power and then five years later helped push him out again.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • But opposing him is Stagg, a Scottish, stick-in-the-mud academic (which is saying a lot by most weather men’s personality standards), who insists on making the team’s joint recommendation exclusively using the current observational data available to Allied forces.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 May 2026
Definition of stick-in-the-mud

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fuddy-duddies
fuddy-duddy
fudge
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Cite this Entry

“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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