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 Kaufman and James recordings sound more like something out of the buttoned-up Gay Nineties than the libertine Roaring ’20s or the Big Band Era.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 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
The English Premier League, which Martin grew up with, was far too buttoned-up to allow his cameras the access they needed.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 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
She smiles her buttoned-up disdainful smile, and we are reassured.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
