stick-in-the-mud

as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas the committee is dominated by old stick-in-the-muds who have little interest in bringing new ideas to the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 stick-in-the-mud David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 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, 9 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stick-in-the-mud
Noun
  • 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
  • Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation’s debt, are pushing for steeper cuts.
    Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 28 June 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
Noun
  • 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
  • And some of us older fogies, Joni Mitchell and Carole King.
    Lars Brandle, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2023
Noun
  • According to a new study in Cretaceous Research, scientists have identified a new lekking site at Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado — a spot famous for its iconic fossils, including Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, and more.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2025
  • These fossils, possibly brought by ancient trade networks, suggest a fascinating intersection of natural history and human activity.
    Real-Time news team, Miami Herald, 27 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stick-in-the-mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stick-in-the-mud. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!