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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stodgy
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
And that’s part of what the Oscars, in their slightly fuddy-duddy way, can do: confer respectability on popular movies that represent groundbreaking achievement.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 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
And that’s part of what the Oscars, in their slightly fuddy-duddy way, can do: confer respectability on popular movies that represent groundbreaking achievement.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuddy-duddy
Adjective
-
The event also served as the debut for HPE’s new brand mark, refreshing a stodgy and text-heavy logo by incorporating a variation on Hewlett Packard’s iconic green badge that is meant to appear open to the future.—
Will Townsend,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
My intention was to suggest a consensus approach that could overcome the stodgy staff guarding the City’s credit rating to try something new.—
Roger Valdez,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation’s debt, are pushing for steeper cuts.—
Alicia Adamczyk,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
-
Three of the court’s conservatives – Roberts, Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh – joined the three liberals in rejecting conservative challenges to Obamacare and to an internet subsidy program.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
The dowdy and shy Ursula is diabetic and has lost her eyesight in one eye.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2025
-
Machi plays a dowdy tax inspector closing in on a Shakira-style Latina singer for tax fraud.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
The veteran would be a small upgrade in the outfield for the Padres.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
-
Longtime owners Russ and Kathryn Munson partnered with Palmer and luxury hospitality veteran Christopher Hunsberger, now Appellation’s COO, to help bring it to life.—
Keyla Vasconcellos,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share