Meaning & use
straitlaced
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having very strict views about proper behavior, especially in matters of morals or sex, and unwilling to accept anything more relaxed.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a straitlaced aunt; my aunt is straitlaced.
Patterns
- straitlaced about something
- a straitlaced upbringing
- too straitlaced for someone
Her straitlaced parents would never let her stay out past ten.
He came across as straitlaced at first, but he loosened up after a few jokes.
The novel was banned by straitlaced officials who thought it indecent.
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Following rules or accepted customs very exactly, with little room for flexibility or fun.
Grammar: Describes people, groups or their methods; often slightly critical.
Patterns
- a straitlaced approach to something
- straitlaced about the rules
The committee took a straitlaced approach to the dress code and sent everyone home to change.
Our straitlaced office culture leaves no room for casual Fridays.
Word forms
| comparative | more straitlaced |
|---|---|
| superlative | most straitlaced |
Common combinations
- straitlaced parents
- Her straitlaced parents checked every message on her phone.
- a straitlaced upbringing
- He had a straitlaced upbringing in a small religious town.
- straitlaced about something
- They are surprisingly straitlaced about swearing in public.
- a straitlaced attitude
- That straitlaced attitude to dating feels out of date now.
- too straitlaced for someone
- The club was too straitlaced for her taste.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prim
- Prim suggests a fussy, overly proper manner about small details of behavior, while straitlaced is more about strict moral standards.
- puritanical
- Puritanical is stronger and often suggests hostility to pleasure itself; straitlaced can simply mean old-fashioned strictness.
- conservative
- Conservative is wider and can refer to politics or taste, not only to strict personal morals.
- strict
- Strict often describes rules or a person who enforces them; straitlaced describes the person's own attitudes and values.
Opposites
Word family
- straitlacedly adverb
- In a strict, morally proper way (rare).
- straitlacedness noun
- The quality of being strict about proper behavior (rare).
Commonly confused: straitlaced or straight-laced?
straitlaced vs straight-laced
A common misspelling based on 'straight'; the traditional spelling is straitlaced, from the old word 'strait' meaning narrow or tight.
Practice
Which sentence uses straitlaced correctly?
Choose one answer.
Straitlaced describes strict moral or behavioral attitudes, so it fits 'views on marriage'. The shoe and road options confuse it with 'straight' or 'narrow', and straitlaced is not a verb, so it cannot take an object like 'the rope'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “straitlaced”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.