Definition of mossbacknext
as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas those mossbacks at the intelligence agency didn't get the memo that the world had changed

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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 mossback This man performed in all of Shakespeare’s plays, Assumed all parts from mossbacks to boys young. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mossback
Noun
  • Eventually, the conservatives succeeded; the denomination finally divided in a schism in 2024, with more than seventy-six hundred congregations leaving to join a conservative Global Methodist Church.
    Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Graham has framed her outsider status as an asset, while pointing to Trump's support as one of the key reasons conservatives should support her bid for a full term.
    Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Of the bunch, Kaminsky is the only Broadway veteran, with Álvarez, Knight and Cochran — as well as understudies Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks and Michael Holding — all making their Broadway debuts with Paranormal Activity.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Nuggets need to get younger, longer and meaner around that veteran trio, and ASAP.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Ruzich is a former newspaper reporter who now sells stones and fossils at Affordable Antiques and More in Naperville.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Battery storage and renewable power will have roles to play, as will nuclear plants and existing fossil generation.
    Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Mossback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mossback. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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