Dictionary.com

strait-laced

or straight-laced

[ streyt-leyst ]
/ ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR strait-laced

adjective

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

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Origin of strait-laced

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

OTHER WORDS FROM strait-laced

strait-lac·ed·ly [streyt-ley-sid-lee, -leyst-lee], /ˈstreɪtˈleɪ sɪd li, -ˈleɪst li/, adverbstrait-lac·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby strait-laced

straining sill, strait, straiten, straitjacket, strait-lace, strait-laced, Straits dollar, Straits Settlements, strake, Stralsund, stramash
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to strait-laced

uptight, priggish, prim, prissy, proper, puritanical, rigid, square, starchy, stiff, strict, stuffy, old-maidish

Example sentences from the Web for strait-laced

British Dictionary definitions for strait-laced

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