as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas
felt like a Colonel Blimp when it came to how his grandchildren communicated with each other
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Recent Examples of Colonel Blimp
In Zac’s report, Schoonmaker addressed Powell’s legendary filmmaking partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which spawned films such as The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Black Narcissus.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
Powell is perhaps best known for his creative partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which produced some of the most brilliant British films of the 20th century, including The Life of Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
Released in the thick of World War II, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp serves as a kind of origin story for the character but also, and above all, as a defense of his place in history and in shaping the national character.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
Powell is perhaps best known for his creative partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which produced some of the most brilliant British films of the 20th century, including The Life of Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
Released in the thick of World War II, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp serves as a kind of origin story for the character but also, and above all, as a defense of his place in history and in shaping the national character.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Colonel Blimp
Noun
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The speaker is considered a religious and social conservative within Iranian politics.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Kennedy, a fiscal conservative, wants to pay for its costs, though that detail will need to be worked out with other senators.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For three innings against the Washington Nationals, Boyd pitched like the veteran who earned his All-Star honor a year ago.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
DeRozan, a 36-year-old veteran in his 17th NBA season, had another big game less than two weeks after posting 41 points and 11 assists in a win over the Utah Jazz.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Rising oil costs have narrowed the premium for biodiesel feedstocks over traditional, fossil alternatives, improving biofuel production margins.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The naming of Doolysaurus huhmini honors both the fictional icon and the very real Min Huh, a pioneering paleontologist who spent 30 years preserving Korea’s fossil heritage.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With his piano-pounding performances, wild vocals, bouffant hair and makeup, Little Richard burst onto the musical scene in the 1950s and shook up the stuffed shirts with a string of his hit songs that got both black and white people dancing.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
9 May 2020
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Karen Knorr’s photos of the private members’ clubs of London in the early 1980s are full of stuffed shirts wearing gleaming brogues.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
25 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Colonel Blimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Colonel%20Blimp. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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