straight-laced

[streyt-leyst] / ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /

ADJECTIVE

strait-laced

Synonyms

WEAK

Victorian austere goody-two-shoes old-maidish priggish prim prissy proper prudish puritanical rigid square starchy stiff strict stuffy uptight

Antonyms

STRONGEST

permissive

WEAK

broad-minded

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Johnson’s previous film was the slightly more straight-laced “BlackBerry,” about the rise and fall of the once-ubiquitous device.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“It’s a bonus when I’m able to stretch myself and feel like I’m being challenged,” Poulter says of his character, the most straight-laced figure in the film, but imbued by Poulter with a surprising vulnerability.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2025

Paul is a straight-laced square, and Ford looks like he’s having a blast every episode pushing Paul to his limits.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2024

But they’ve also tried to be funny, whereas LinkedIn is a bit more straight-laced: There is no such thing as Weird LinkedIn.

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2023

She's quite respectable—in fact, they're rather a straight-laced people; and she doesn't talk badly.

From Ranching for Sylvia by Bindloss, Harold