straitlaced

adjective

strait·​laced ˈstrāt-ˈlāst How to pronounce straitlaced (audio)
variants or straightlaced
1
: excessively strict in manners, morals, or opinion
2
: wearing or having a bodice or stays tightly laced
straitlacedly adverb
straitlacedness
ˈstrāt-ˈlās(t)-nəs How to pronounce straitlaced (audio)
-ˈlā-səd-nəs
noun

Examples of straitlaced in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web 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 The beloved cast included two Alabama natives, Jim Nabors and George Lindsey (as naive cousins Gomer and Goober Pyle), Ron Howard (as Andy’s son Opie), Don Knotts (as jittery Deputy Barney Fife) and Frances Bavier (as straitlaced and loving Aunt Bee). Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 18 Aug. 2021 His grandfather Aaron Rabinowitz (Anthony Hopkins) is fully behind him, while his straitlaced parents, Irving (Jeremy Strong) and Esther (Anne Hathaway), want their son to choose a financially solvent career. Simi Horwitz, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2022 Williams played the straitlaced Shirley Feeney to Marshall’s more libertine Laverne DeFazio on the show about a pair of blue-collar roommates who toiled on the assembly line of a Milwaukee brewery in the 1950s and 1960s. Andrew Dalton, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Jan. 2023 Williams played the straitlaced Shirley Feeney to Marshall's more libertine Laverne DeFazio on the show about a pair of blue-collar roommates who toiled on the assembly line of a Milwaukee brewery in the 1950s and ’60s. Andrew Dalton, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2023 Here, Hoffman—whose interiors are known for their chic, muted palette—played with color and scale in contrast to the showroom’s straitlaced concrete floors and exposed ceilings. Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 5 Jan. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of straitlaced was in 1554

Dictionary Entries Near straitlaced

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

straitlaced

adjective
strait·​laced
variants or straightlaced
: very strict or proper in actions, beliefs, or point of view

More from Merriam-Webster on straitlaced

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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