schoolmarm
Americannoun
noun
-
a woman schoolteacher, esp when considered to be prim, prudish, or old-fashioned
-
any woman considered to be prim, prudish, or old-fashioned
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of schoolmarm
1835–45, variant of schoolma'am
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.
She earned her Oscars playing the unconventional schoolmarm in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and a brittle movie star in “California Suite” in the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
But she is still a substitute teacher, squirming to be the best schoolmarm she can be.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 20, 2023
Ms. Barrymore, as an executive producer, weighs in on everything, down to her chic schoolmarm costumes.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 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
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.
