strait-laced
Americanadjective
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excessively strict in conduct or morality; puritanical; prudish.
strait-laced censors.
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tightly laced, as a bodice.
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wearing tightly laced garments.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of strait-laced
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Explanation
To be strait-laced is to be extremely strict and uptight. Your strait-laced cousin won't be interested in joining the rest of your family in an impromptu dance party. If you know anyone who's extremely prim and proper, you can describe them as strait-laced. This adjective originally described overly tight clothing, particularly women's stays or bodices. The now obsolete adjective strait meant "narrow or cramped" or "strict," but because it's become unfamiliar today, strait-laced can also be spelled straight-laced.
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.
Ben Wood, from tech research firm CCS Insight, remembers first reading the phrase "pervert glasses" in the usually strait-laced Financial Times - a sign, he says, that it had prompted a "significant public backlash".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
That article traced her journey from childhood as a male in New York’s strait-laced Westchester County to her decision to transition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2024
Singapore was once known as an affluent and strait-laced city-state.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2024
In contrast to strait-laced Seattle, where suds stopped flowing at 2 a.m. and never on Sundays, Georgetown’s unregulated taverns, eateries and roadhouses were open round-the-clock, serving laborers the hoppy product of their labors.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
Haupt and Wergin had grown up in "strait-laced families," and this was the greatest adventure of their lives.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
