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.

But as time has passed, his appearances has been marked by artists and actors wrestling with his godlike nobility and wanting to question his straight-laced nature.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

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

Sir Keir Starmer is the target of this £3.29 birthday card, poking fun at the Labour leader's straight-laced image.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2023

Sure, there are still traditional 30-minute, multi-camera, studio-audience sitcoms; and plenty of straight-laced, laugh-free serious dramas.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2023

By the way, I do not agree with the straight-laced people, who condemn all such amusements.

From The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness A Complete Hand Book for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society by Hartley, Florence