schoolmarm

American  

[skool-mahrm] / ˈskulˌmɑrm /

noun

Older Use.

1. a female schoolteacher, especially of the old-time country school type, popularly held to be strict and priggish.

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schoolmarm British  

/ ˈskuːlˌmɑːm /

noun

1. a woman schoolteacher, esp when considered to be prim, prudish, or old-fashioned

2. any woman considered to be prim, prudish, or old-fashioned

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Other Word Forms

• schoolmarmish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of schoolmarm

1835–45, variant of schoolma'am

Example Sentences

But she is still a substitute teacher, squirming to be the best schoolmarm she can be.

From Washington Times • Feb. 20, 2023

Ms. Theurer, a deeply religious wife and grandmother with schoolmarm charm, was an unlikely pandemic czar, but she leaped into the role head-on.

From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2022

So I would encourage you to let go of this inner schoolmarm who’s telling you that you don’t have the right to judge a translation.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2021

One of her most memorable roles was in Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” as Harriet Johnson, a schoolmarm who is among the residents of a Western town offended when a Black sheriff is appointed.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2020

But it did not interfere with our meeting, except that she chided me like a schoolmarm for not taking her advice and cutting down on my schedule.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela