fuddy-duddy
Americannoun
-
a person who is stuffy, old-fashioned, and conservative.
-
a person who is fussy or picayune about details; fussbudget.
adjective
-
stuffy, old-fashioned, and conservative.
-
fussy; picayune.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fuddy-duddy
First recorded in 1900–05; of obscure origin
Explanation
An old-fashioned, fussy person can be called a fuddy-duddy. You might accuse your best friend of being a fuddy-duddy if she prefers staying home drinking tea and reading on Saturday nights, instead of going dancing with you. A fuddy-duddy has no sense of humor and is disapproving and a bit pompous. Fuddy-duddies seem dull and conservative, overly careful, and critical of other people's decisions. While we know fuddy-duddy first appeared in print in the late 1800s, and that it originated in the United States, its origin is a mystery.
Vocabulary lists containing fuddy-duddy
O'Reilly's Lexicon of Epithets
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Wind in the Door
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Bob Newhart (1929–2024) Tribute List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He’s a fuddy-duddy, and he only makes it worse his habit of making bad jokes and then reacting petulantly when people don’t laugh at them.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Showing the BBC around his former stomping ground, Harold's Café, he expressed confidence his cardigan-wearing "fuddy-duddy" character would live on.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2022
Carrie is now the “cisgender woman” on a podcast whose younger co-hosts make her feel like a fuddy-duddy.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
Dream movie moment: Cora, who sometimes seems a few scones short of a tea tray, wises up and leaves fuddy-duddy Robert for a dashing London financier played by Hugh Grant.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2019
You're a nice old fuddy-duddy that father sent to the spaceport because he figured you'd be too timid to get into trouble.
From The Pirates of Ersatz by Freas, Kelly
We tend to think of people from long ago as credulous, unsophisticated fuddy-duddies.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2021
In the Spiel, why the Dow is for fuddy-duddies.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2017
If those sessions were going on with a bunch of fuddy-duddies they wouldn’t be getting such good results.”
From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2016
Word-centric fuddy-duddies see the decline of literacy reflected in their heart-shaped eyes, while guardians of decorum lament the spread of greasy kid stuff dripping from the characters’ snail trails.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2015
You used an expression, dear,—old fuddy-duddies, was it?
From Three Margarets by Barry, Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
