as in conservative
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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Recent Examples of fuddy-duddy
William Earl, Variety, 30 Nov. 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
Noun
For someone who’s constantly on speakerphone, Tommy sure is a fuddy-duddy about using it correctly.
—William Earl, Variety, 30 Nov. 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
Noun
-
Muntasir Rahman, an out gay LGBTQ-rights advocate, was removed from the NCP’s central committee after a backlash from party conservatives.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
To get foreign conservatives’ attention, the group targeted major right-wing shows to cast white South Africans’ situation as a grim parable.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The performances have largely been stodgy and ponderous.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
-
The once stodgy and slow growth world of companies that produce and sell power has become an investor favorite.—
Brian Sullivan,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Free Home Elementary School in Cherokee County said the two-decade veteran educator and mother of one was placed on administrative leave.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Duties include making sure resident veterans receive the highest standard of medical care, following state laws and meeting specific needs of residents.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Chris Hemsworth, then, almost as good-looking as GNev himself, with his slightly dowdy brother Luke cast as good old Phil.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2026
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World-renowned for its cashmere, buttery leather, and tailored wool, Italian winter fashion leaves no room for dowdy sweatpants and sweatshirts.—
Nneya Richards,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Old fogey-ish, ungrateful and stupid.—
Katie Hafner,
Scientific American,
10 Sep. 2025
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These are people who know AI and have grown up with this stuff that these old fogies haven't.—
Alison Snyder,
Axios,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And he's taken aim at the foreign policy apparatus, describing institutions like the NSC and State Department as having been ossified and out of touch.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This year’s awards narrative was already feeling especially ossified.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Bostwick starred as the naive stick-in-the-mud and fiancé of Janice, Brad.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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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,
EW.com,
9 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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