variants
or schoolma'am
as in teacher
US, old-fashioned
a woman who teaches in a school in a small town or in the country
In the movie, she plays a doting schoolmarm in colonial New England.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of schoolmarm
No ruler-wielding schoolmarm can impart the urgency of learning the way hunger can.
—
John Phillips,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
This, to Newsom, is being strong; the right are the fainthearted schoolmarms now.
—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board took note of the hard-right’s distress, let down its tightly wound schoolmarm bun and snickered right out loud.
—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 July 2025
The search for a missing schoolmarm is the focus of an escape room experience at the Lanesfield School, a historic one-room schoolhouse in Edgerton.
—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2025
University deans, schoolmarms and human resources managers penned dress codes outright forbidding the garment or relegating it to certain areas.
—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2023
Visitors can relive a school experience from the early 20th century, complete with a schoolmarm and an outhouse.
—
Jshortavon,
cleveland,
23 July 2023
Then there’s Jeffrey Wright’s gung-ho military man, Matt Dillon’s bubbleheaded grease monkey, Steve Carell’s apologetic motel owner, Maya Hawke’s friendly schoolmarm, and Rupert Friend’s cowboy loverboy.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2023
In the music video, Gavin plays the titular cheerleader who is smitten with a girl in the program; meanwhile, Bridgers plays the pink-haired schoolmarm in charge, while popular gay comedian Caleb Hearon plays a conflicted gay coach.
—
Los Angeles Times,
22 July 2022
John Phillips,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
This, to Newsom, is being strong; the right are the fainthearted schoolmarms now.
—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board took note of the hard-right’s distress, let down its tightly wound schoolmarm bun and snickered right out loud.
—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 July 2025
The search for a missing schoolmarm is the focus of an escape room experience at the Lanesfield School, a historic one-room schoolhouse in Edgerton.
—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2025
University deans, schoolmarms and human resources managers penned dress codes outright forbidding the garment or relegating it to certain areas.
—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2023
Visitors can relive a school experience from the early 20th century, complete with a schoolmarm and an outhouse.
—
Jshortavon,
cleveland,
23 July 2023
Then there’s Jeffrey Wright’s gung-ho military man, Matt Dillon’s bubbleheaded grease monkey, Steve Carell’s apologetic motel owner, Maya Hawke’s friendly schoolmarm, and Rupert Friend’s cowboy loverboy.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2023
In the music video, Gavin plays the titular cheerleader who is smitten with a girl in the program; meanwhile, Bridgers plays the pink-haired schoolmarm in charge, while popular gay comedian Caleb Hearon plays a conflicted gay coach.
—
Los Angeles Times,
22 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schoolmarm
Noun
-
One thing teachers seem to agree on is a return to pen and paper.
-
That proposal drew opposition from unions and associations representing teachers and school employees.
Noun
-
On the other hand, Dunaway and her tart-talking sidekick, Brenda Vaccaro, seem to be having the time of their lives as mistresses of the shades of darkness (their ramshackle abode is a funhouse Ghost Train ride festooned with skeletons, spiders and tattered netting).
-
The Paradise actress guest-starred on the series in 2007 as Tony Soprano's mistress.
Noun
-
Washington's Pilates instructor, Erika Bloom, helped the actress turn the pages of her binder — which, by the looks of the vibrant cover, appeared to contain her lines for The Whoopi Monologues.
-
Their lives gradually shift after meeting No Yeong-ju, an optimistic singing instructor played by Im Ji-eun, whose positive outlook encourages both women to confront their past.
Cite this Entry
“Schoolmarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schoolmarm. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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