buttoned-up
Americanadjective
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conservative, as in professional style or manner.
Employers are looking for buttoned-up types.
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carefully planned, operated, supervised, etc..
It's one of the most buttoned-up companies in the business.
Etymology
Origin of buttoned-up
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
The shifting promises are unsurprising to colleagues familiar with the brash, quick-tempered Gorka, a gate crasher in Washington’s buttoned-up defense establishment.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
The disappearance of Guthrie, a crime that remains uncracked after more than three weeks, is the rare story that spans the breadth of tabloid gossip and buttoned-up newspaper reporting.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Patel’s presence at the bureau has been something of a culture shock for a buttoned-up workforce, used to wearing suits and ties.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
Her shirt might be undone, in contrast to the severe, buttoned-up tailoring of last week, but her shoulders are sharp and accentuated.
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025
Any thrownaway lover in wet unlaced shoes and a buttoned-up sweater under his coat is a foreigner here.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
