Strait-Laced: Meaning, Usage, Collocations, and Examples

Easy explanation

If someone is called strait-laced, it means they are very serious, strict, and often uncomfortable with relaxed behavior or anything considered “improper,” especially related to sex, pleasure, or fun.

Grammatical formation

• Adjective: strait-laced (comparative: more strait-laced; superlative: most strait-laced).
• Common verb use: to be strait-laced, to seem strait-laced, to call someone strait-laced.
• Derived noun: strait-lacedness.

Meanings and nuances

1. Moral strictness — someone who avoids anything “immoral,” such as alcohol, sex, or risqué talk.
2. Conservative manners — sticking to traditional etiquette and propriety.
3. Sexual restraint — used to describe people who are uncomfortable with sexuality or sensual expression.
4. Negative connotation — sometimes used mockingly to suggest uptightness or rigidity.

With prepositions and variants

• strait-laced about sex/behavior: “She is strait-laced about dating.”
• strait-laced in manners: “He is strait-laced in public conduct.”

Common collocations

strait-laced family, strait-laced upbringing, strait-laced society, strait-laced attitude, strait-laced values, strait-laced views on sex, strait-laced morality

Idioms and neighboring expressions

• “stiff upper lip” (strict restraint)
• “by the book” (rigid following of rules)
• “tight-laced” (archaic, same meaning)
• “buttoned-up” (informally restrained)

Word comparisons

• strait-laced vs straight-laced: Both spellings exist, but “strait-laced” (from “strait” meaning narrow) is historically correct. “Straight-laced” is now common.
• strait-laced vs modest: modest is humble or restrained; strait-laced is stricter and more judgmental.
• strait-laced vs conservative: conservative is broad (political/social); strait-laced is about personal morality.
• strait-laced vs prudish: prudish is overly shocked by sexuality; strait-laced is broader, including manners and lifestyle.

Real-life examples

• “Her strait-laced parents forbade dating before marriage.”
• “The town was strait-laced, with bans on alcohol and dancing.”
• “He seemed strait-laced, but he had a wild side in private.”
• “Victorian society was famously strait-laced.”
• “She grew up in a strait-laced community.”

Sample sentences

1. “He was too strait-laced to watch that movie.”
2. “She had a strait-laced view of relationships.”
3. “His strait-laced manners made him seem old-fashioned.”
4. “They mocked their teacher for being strait-laced.”
5. “The party was boring because it was full of strait-laced guests.”
6. “She wanted to escape her strait-laced upbringing.”
7. “The novel challenged the strait-laced values of its time.”
8. “He was strait-laced in public but adventurous in private.”
9. “The strait-laced community frowned upon dancing.”
10. “Her strait-laced attitude toward sexuality kept her distant.”

Synonyms

prudish, puritanical, uptight, rigid, strict, conventional, proper, moralistic, conservative, buttoned-up

Antonyms

liberal, free-spirited, open-minded, permissive, uninhibited, easygoing, relaxed

Related terms

prudery, modesty, morality, repression, inhibition, conservatism, propriety, decency, taboo

Connection to sexuality

Yes. Strait-laced is often linked to sexuality, describing people or societies that are uncomfortable with sexualopenness, sensuality, or even casual intimacy. Historically, Victorian England is seen as strait-laced in sexual attitudes.

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