strait-laced

American  

[streyt-leyst] / ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /

Or straight-laced

adjective

1. excessively strict in conduct or morality; puritanical; prudish.

   strait-laced censors.

2. tightly laced, as a bodice.

3. wearing tightly laced garments.

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strait-laced British  

adjective

1. prudish or puritanical

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• strait-lacedness
  noun
• strait-lacedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of strait-laced

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Explanation

To be strait-laced is to be extremely strict and uptight. Your strait-laced cousin won't be interested in joining the rest of your family in an impromptu dance party. If you know anyone who's extremely prim and proper, you can describe them as strait-laced. This adjective originally described overly tight clothing, particularly women's stays or bodices. The now obsolete adjective strait meant "narrow or cramped" or "strict," but because it's become unfamiliar today, strait-laced can also be spelled straight-laced.

Example Sentences

"Next to the vomiting, gurning, maniacally grinning Keaton, she can’t help but seem a little bland and strait-laced."

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2024

But the very existence of the film, which is loosely based on a seemingly strait-laced community college instructor who moonlighted as a fake assassin for the Houston police, proves just how much they fascinate us.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

Last year, they were the strait-laced girl who had detailed notes, flash cards and pens for the borrowing; this year, the burnout who shows up at the end and aces the final?

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2023

This strait-laced hamlet of thatched roofs, wine tasting rooms and chocolatiers is obsessed with its image as a charming Danish village.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2023

Haupt and Wergin had grown up in "strait-laced families," and this was the greatest adventure of their lives.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple