strait-laced

or straight-laced

[ streyt-leyst ]
/ ˈstreɪtˈleɪst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR strait-laced ON THESAURUS.COM

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 arch, straining piece, straining sill, strait, strait-lace, strait-laced, straiten, straitjacket, straits dollar, straits settlements, strake

Definition for strait-laced (2 of 2)

strait-lace
[ streyt-leys ]
/ ˈstreɪtˌleɪs /

verb (used with object), strait-laced, strait-lac·ing.

to bind, confine, or restrain with or as if with laces.

Origin of strait-lace

First recorded in 1630–40; back formation from strait-laced
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to strait-laced

uptight, Victorian, 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