girl next door

American

[gurl nekst dawr] / ˈgɜrl ˌnɛkst ˈdɔr /

noun

a girl or woman who exemplifies traditional or old-fashioned norms of behavior, gender, and beauty, and is generally considered to be pleasant, unassuming, familiar, and uncontroversial (often used attributively).

People still think of me as that goody-goody girl next door.
The actresses, with their girl next door image, make audiences swoon with their big smiles and friendly eyes.

Etymology

Origin of girl next door

First recorded in 1920–25

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:

girl next door

Her creator wanted a realistic girl next door, an English rose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

Thus she may be shocked to discover that the world views her as reality TV platinum – part wholesome girl next door, part Anna Delvey.

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2024

While as a piece of sculpture, the first Barbie doll was virtually indistinguishable from the Lilli doll, Handler positioned Barbie as a wholesome, virginal, all-American girl next door.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2023

It soon became obvious that the glammed-up girl next door can still push emotional buttons few other pop stars can reach.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2022

The girl next door and I can do all my favorite summer things together: swimming at the pond, watching TV, and riding bikes.

From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023