schoolmarm

noun

school·​marm ˈskül-ˌmä(r)m How to pronounce schoolmarm (audio)
variants or schoolma'am
1
: a woman who is a schoolteacher especially in a rural or small-town school
2
: a person who exhibits characteristics attributed to schoolteachers (such as strict adherence to arbitrary rules)
schoolmarmish adjective

Examples of schoolmarm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web University deans, schoolmarms and human resources managers penned dress codes outright forbidding the garment or relegating it to certain areas. The Conversation, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2023 Visitors can relive a school experience from the early 20th century, complete with a schoolmarm and an outhouse. Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023 Then there’s Jeffrey Wright’s gung-ho military man, Matt Dillon’s bubbleheaded grease monkey, Steve Carell’s apologetic motel owner, Maya Hawke’s friendly schoolmarm, and Rupert Friend’s cowboy loverboy. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2023 In the music video, Gavin plays the titular cheerleader who is smitten with a girl in the program; meanwhile, Bridgers plays the pink-haired schoolmarm in charge, while popular gay comedian Caleb Hearon plays a conflicted gay coach. Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022 On hand to enforce the rules is an electronic schoolmarm called Lana, who resembles a Google Home under the influence of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Judy Berman, Time, 16 Apr. 2020 The October 2019 cover of Harper’s Bazaar featured Demi Moore dressed in Victorian schoolmarm wear, replete with knotted collar and wire-rimmed glasses. Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 11 Feb. 2020 These disingenuous characterizations — the zealous youngster and the wise schoolmarm — are trite. Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2019 All the the things people criticize her for — schoolmarm-ish, lecturing, dour, droning — are music to your ears. Jim Geraghty, National Review, 23 Sep. 2019

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

Word History

Etymology

school + marm, alteration of ma'am

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of schoolmarm was in 1831

Dictionary Entries Near schoolmarm

Cite this Entry

“Schoolmarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schoolmarm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

schoolmarm

noun
school·​marm ˈskül-ˌmä(r)m How to pronounce schoolmarm (audio)
variants or schoolma'am
-ˌmäm How to pronounce schoolmarm (audio)
-ˌmam
: a woman who is a schoolteacher especially in a rural or small-town school

More from Merriam-Webster on schoolmarm

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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