Meaning & use
stick in the road
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Meaning
phraseidiominformaldisapproving
A person who is very old-fashioned and unwilling to accept new ideas or ways of doing things.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase; often preceded by 'a' or 'an' and followed by 'about' or 'when it comes to'.
Patterns
- a stick in the road about something
- a stick in the road when it comes to something
- call someone a stick in the road
My uncle is a real stick in the road about using smartphones; he still writes letters by hand.
She's a stick in the road when it comes to fashion—she only wears clothes from the 1980s.
Don't be such a stick in the road; try the new coffee shop with us.
Common combinations
- a real stick in the road
- He's a real stick in the road about changing his daily routine.
- a stick in the road about (something)
- My parents are sticks in the road about social media.
- a stick in the road when it comes to (something)
- The manager is a stick in the road when it comes to flexible working hours.
- be a stick in the road
- Don't be a stick in the road—just try the new app once.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fuddy-duddy
- Similar informal disapproval, but 'fuddy-duddy' often suggests someone fussy or old-fashioned in a harmless, slightly comic way, while 'stick in the road' emphasizes stubborn resistance to change.
- traditionalist
- More neutral and formal; a traditionalist values old ways but may not actively block new ideas, whereas a stick in the road is stubbornly opposed.
- stick-in-the-mud
- Very close in meaning, but 'stick-in-the-mud' is the more common idiom; 'stick in the road' is a less frequent variant.
Opposites
Commonly confused: stick in the road or stick-in-the-mud?
stick in the road vs stick-in-the-mud
This is the standard idiom for an old-fashioned, unadventurous person. 'Stick in the road' is a rare variant and may sound like a literal object on a road.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stick in the road' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom 'stick in the road' describes a person who is old-fashioned and resists change, as in option B. Options A, C, and D use 'stick' literally or as a verb in a different sense, not as the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stick in the road”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.