stick-in-the-mud

noun

informal
: one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive
especially : an old fogy

Examples of stick-in-the-mud in a Sentence

the committee is dominated by old stick-in-the-muds who have little interest in bringing new ideas to the table
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Bostwick starred as the naive stick-in-the-mud and fiancé of Janice, Brad. Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025 In the Herbert Ross film, Bacon played big-city teen Ren McCormack, who moves to the small town of Bomont, where its stick-in-the-mud local minster, the Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), has instituted a ban on dancing. EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023 David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stick-in-the-mud was in 1832

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stick-in-the-mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stick-in-the-mud. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

stick-in-the-mud

noun
ˈstik-ən-t͟hə-ˌməd
: one who is slow, old-fashioned, or unprogressive
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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