strait-laced

/'streitleist/

Thân thiện

My strait-laced aunt frowns at the colorful, modern art on the wall.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Excessively strict or severe in matters of morality, behavior, or appearance: Describes a person who is very rigid in adhering to conventional standards of propriety, modesty, or behavior, often to the point of being prudish or narrow-minded.

Usage

• The adjective strait-laced is used to describe a person's character or attitude. It is typically used in a critical or slightly disapproving way to suggest that someone is overly conservative.
• It is often hyphenated, though the unhyphenated form "straitlaced" is also common.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "to be strait-laced about something": to be particularly strict or prudish regarding a specific subject.
  • She is very strait-laced about language and gets offended by even mild swearing.

Variants and Related Words

• Straitlaced (adj): An alternative spelling without the hyphen.
• Puritanical (adj): Similar in meaning, emphasizing strict moral or religious austerity.
• Prim (adj): Stiffly formal and respectable, often in manner or appearance.
• Prudish (adj): Easily shocked by matters related to sex or nudity.

Synonyms

• Prudish
• Prim
• Proper
• Victorian
• Uptight
• Conservative (in a moral/behavioral sense)

Antonyms

• Permissive
• Liberal
• Broad-minded
• Easygoing
• Bohemian

Idioms and Phrases

• No direct idioms use "strait-laced" as a component. The word itself often functions descriptively within phrases criticizing conservative attitudes.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. exaggeratedly proper
   • my straitlaced Aunt Anna doesn't approve of my miniskirts