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
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Recent Examples of stick-in-the-mud
Bostwick starred as the naive stick-in-the-mud and fiancé of Janice, Brad.
—
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
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
David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
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
David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stick-in-the-mud
Noun
-
Bad Bunny’s halftime show announcement was met with criticism from conservatives.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
No conservatives took to the streets to obstruct ICE’s operations, yet more people lost their lives under Obama’s deportations.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Stafford, a 17-year veteran, won the award by finishing ahead of New England quarterback Drake Maye in balloting by a panel of 50 journalists who regularly cover the NFL.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Seahawks ranked third in total pressures and seventh in sacks this season, thanks to a front seven that includes a rotating set of outside linebackers in veterans DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu and younger pass rushers Derick Hall and Boye Mafe.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Old fogey-ish, ungrateful and stupid.—
Katie Hafner,
Scientific American,
10 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
-
As fossil-fuel revenues decline, some states will face financial stress and political strain.—
Maria Mendiluce,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
-
La Brea Tar Pits is the richest Ice Age fossil site on Earth and a repository of millions of fossils, comprising hundreds of plant and animal species.—
Marianne Love,
Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stick-in-the-mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stick-in-the-mud. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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