as in fogey
a person with old-fashioned ideas
a fuddy-duddy who thought that anyone too young to vote shouldn't be out past 8:00 p.m.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stodgy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fuddy-duddy
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
The good news is that for every fuddy-duddy like myself who can’t seem to get on board with crowdfunding kids’ lives, there are twice as many generous, kind-hearted individuals willing to give a little—or a lot—toward schools, sports, and charities.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2024
Another group of screenwriters have mocked Ms. Lombardini online as a fuddy-duddy who hangs out at chain restaurants, the taunt being that no Hollywood person would be caught dead in one.
—John Koblin, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
And that’s part of what the Oscars, in their slightly fuddy-duddy way, can do: confer respectability on popular movies that represent groundbreaking achievement.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Noun
Her characters were women whose roles often implied their own eventual replacements: teachers, fading former love interests, fuddy-duddy old-fashioned relics.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
The good news is that for every fuddy-duddy like myself who can’t seem to get on board with crowdfunding kids’ lives, there are twice as many generous, kind-hearted individuals willing to give a little—or a lot—toward schools, sports, and charities.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2024
Another group of screenwriters have mocked Ms. Lombardini online as a fuddy-duddy who hangs out at chain restaurants, the taunt being that no Hollywood person would be caught dead in one.
—John Koblin, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
And that’s part of what the Oscars, in their slightly fuddy-duddy way, can do: confer respectability on popular movies that represent groundbreaking achievement.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuddy-duddy
Adjective
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The Green Team diversifies, selecting a few slices of stodgy pizza before hitting up the candy aisle for candy corn, Red Hots, and caramel corn.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
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Mind you, 60% of the FBS programs and 75% of the stodgy, uptight athletic directors in the Big Ten would probably never agree to it.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But universities themselves opened the door to criticism by having expressed hostility to the views of many conservatives, former UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks said.—
Andy Rose,
CNN,
20 Mar. 2025
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Memorably dowdy fashion notwithstanding, the juicy role — part Nurse Ratched, part Jack Torrance — launched Bates into the Hollywood ether following years of false starts.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Jane and Kit stand on either side, looking dowdy in black dresses and veils (not really an Irish thing).—
Cullen Murphy,
airmail.news,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Air Force veteran Mark Mendon of Blue Springs, Missouri, showed up to lend his support to the Satanic Grotto’s cause.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2025
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Citadel stars Game of Thrones veteran Richard Madden and Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra as elite spy agents who had their memories wiped years ago after encountering a shadowy syndicate known as Manticore.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fuddy-duddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuddy-duddy. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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