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
To some, Superman is a fuddy-duddy in a cape.
—Ken Makin, Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 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
To some, Superman is a fuddy-duddy in a cape.
—Ken Makin, Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 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
-
Among the about four dozen organizations listed were the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Urban League, and other legal aid groups that conservatives have long criticized, the Times reported.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
3 June 2026
-
But Choi said Han’s win could worsen a divide in the conservatives because Yoon loyalists would feel a sense of crisis and close ranks further.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
If the dip still feels a bit stodgy, try adding a little more tahini or olive oil to smooth it out.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
-
United produced a string of stodgy displays in February and March.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Voters in the June 16 Democratic runoff for insurance commissioner will choose between an Atlanta politician with a long record of public service but who is also in the midst of a significant campaign ethics probe or an industry veteran with two decades of experience but no time in office.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
-
Spencer, an Army veteran with no law enforcement experience, defeated Staley, a Republican who’d been in office for over 13 years.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Like sparks igniting, the result is a piece that feels alive with energy rather than a dowdy relic of the past.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
17 May 2026
-
Reed was not the typical dowdy or frumpy critic.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s no old fogey-ness to Lorne.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
-
For the benefit of us old fogies?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But rather than simply repeat the even-then ossified list of events leading to the invention of photography and the medium’s later innovations, the book uses a series of stories, reminiscences, and tall tales to describe how photography transformed everyday (and not so everyday) experience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Lockhart, a mathematician who taught first at Brown University and UC Santa Cruz and then for many years at Saint Ann’s, a progressive private school in Brooklyn, argues that the injury is due to our ossified K–12 mathematics curriculum.—
Dan Rockmore,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But opposing him is Stagg, a Scottish, stick-in-the-mud academic (which is saying a lot by most weather men’s personality standards), who insists on making the team’s joint recommendation exclusively using the current observational data available to Allied forces.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
-
Bostwick starred as the naive stick-in-the-mud and fiancé of Janice, Brad.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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