definitions

straight-laced

[ streyt-leyst ]
/ ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR straight-laced ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

strait-laced.

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RELATED WORDS

rigid, bigoted, bourgeois, commonplace, conforming, conservative, demure, dogmatic, hackneyed, humdrum, illiberal, inflexible, insular, lame, literal, moderate, moral, narrow, narrow-minded, obstinate

Nearby words

straight-backed, straight-chain, straight-edge, straight-faced, straight-from-the-shoulder, straight-laced, straight-line, straight-out, straightaway, straightedge, straighten
Related formsstraight-lac·ed·ly [streyt-ley-sid-lee, -leyst-lee] /ˈstreɪtˈleɪ sɪd li, -ˈleɪst li/, adverbstraight-lac·ed·ness, noun

Definition for straight-laced (2 of 2)

strait-laced

or straight-laced

[ streyt-leyst ]
/ ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /

adjective

excessively strict in conduct or morality; puritanical; prudish: strait-laced censors.
tightly laced, as a bodice.
wearing tightly laced garments.

Origin of strait-laced

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Related formsstrait-lac·ed·ly [streyt-ley-sid-lee, -leyst-lee] /ˈstreɪtˈleɪ sɪd li, -ˈleɪst li/, adverbstrait-lac·ed·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for straight-laced

British Dictionary definitions for straight-laced (1 of 2)

straight-laced

adjective

a variant spelling of strait-laced

British Dictionary definitions for straight-laced (2 of 2)

strait-laced

straight-laced

adjective

prudish or puritanical
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for straight-laced

strait-laced

adj.

1540s, of stays or bodices; figurative sense of "over-precise, prudish" is from 1550s; see strait (n.) + lace (v.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper