variants
or straightlaced
as in puritanical
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals
a very straitlaced old lady who believed that cleavage was something that should be shown by rock crystals, not respectable women
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straitlaced
Even television, though, began to feel straitlaced.
—
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024
Doherty, then 19, became a superstar in the early ’90s playing the straitlaced but short-tempered Brenda Walsh as the show became a guilty pleasure for a generation.
—Ethan Sacks, NBC News, 14 July 2024
These misfit progeny get a shot at redemption, far from their nefarious parents, and attend a straitlaced boarding school teeming with the children of Disney sweethearts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 1 July 2024
This timeless comedic tandem — where Lucy's zany antics collided with Ricky's straitlaced demeanor — kept generations in stitches for a remarkable 180 episodes.
—James Mercadante and Johnny Loftus, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for straitlaced
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024
Doherty, then 19, became a superstar in the early ’90s playing the straitlaced but short-tempered Brenda Walsh as the show became a guilty pleasure for a generation.
—Ethan Sacks, NBC News, 14 July 2024
These misfit progeny get a shot at redemption, far from their nefarious parents, and attend a straitlaced boarding school teeming with the children of Disney sweethearts.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 1 July 2024
This timeless comedic tandem — where Lucy's zany antics collided with Ricky's straitlaced demeanor — kept generations in stitches for a remarkable 180 episodes.
—James Mercadante and Johnny Loftus, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for straitlaced
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitlaced
Adjective
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Wisconsinites are also distinguished by their puritanical work ethic.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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First, the movement of women telling their stories of victimization online was dismissed by many as a toxic importation of puritanical American mores that were unnecessary in a culture of seduction and harmony between the sexes.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
The only real originality in the accounts of Jesus’ virgin birth is their distinctly Jewish and prudish tone, with the impregnation dignified and at arm’s length rather than represented, as in the Hellenistic myths, as a shower of gold or the lovemaking of an amorous swan.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
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The Comstock Act is a relic, not just of a more prudish era in American history, but of an age when the sort of individual rights that modern Americans take for granted effectively did not exist.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
27 May 2024
Adjective
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Lucy Delius is creating a fun spin on Victorian jewelry.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
13 June 2025
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Guests may sample two teas as hostesses dressed in Victorian clothing describe the history of tea and offer instruction on tea etiquette.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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Goygol includes 65,000 residents, prim parks, tall pines and occasional Tyrolean architecture.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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The people who insist on making sense speak in small, prim voices, trusting their listeners to understand subtleties of tone.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Straitlaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitlaced. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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