as in fogey
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
as in stodgy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fuddy-duddy
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2025
Her characters were women whose roles often implied their own eventual replacements: teachers, fading former love interests, fuddy-duddy old-fashioned relics.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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
Another group of screenwriters have mocked Ms. Lombardini online as a fuddy-duddy who hangs out at chain restaurants, the taunt being that no Hollywood person would be caught dead in one.
—John Koblin, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
Adjective
The father, Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston), is the clan’s second-rate crackpot visionary, a cockeyed optimist who dresses in fuddy-duddy jackets and never knows where the next paycheck is coming from.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2025
Her characters were women whose roles often implied their own eventual replacements: teachers, fading former love interests, fuddy-duddy old-fashioned relics.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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
Another group of screenwriters have mocked Ms. Lombardini online as a fuddy-duddy who hangs out at chain restaurants, the taunt being that no Hollywood person would be caught dead in one.
—John Koblin, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuddy-duddy
Adjective
-
One team looked sloppy, stodgy, prone to silly penalties, indifferent to tackling and mentally soft.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 Oct. 2025
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This would not have been a serious consideration midway through Newcastle’s 2-0 win against struggling, flailing Nottingham Forest — the nothingness of half-time was like a blessed relief — but a stodgy, slow-burning afternoon concluded with Howe’s team comfortable and edging towards dominance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The videos align with conservatives’ push to teach a positive view of America’s past and with the state’s rules on teaching about race and gender.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
22 Oct. 2025
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To be a conservative is, among other things, is thus to reject moral relativism.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bonus points for Sarah Sherman’s dowdy character, who accidentally got on the Epstein list.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
5 Oct. 2025
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Once known for dowdy packaging and perhaps questionable tastes or ingredients, the products now compete with national name brands, sparking a shakeup among major food companies.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Two veteran data journalists are launching a new investigative publication to cover rising authoritarianism from the shadowy corners of the internet.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Under the command of the unflappable Ernest McSorley, its veteran captain, the Fitz broke shipping records and tallied enormous profits.—
Kevin Duchschere,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Really late developers, who might not be fully grown until around 20 or 21, could be 25 before their apophyseal sites are fully ossified.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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