as in stick-in-the-mud
informal + disapproving
a person (such as a child) whose good behavior and politeness are annoying because they seem to be excessive or not sincere
The other kids don't like her because she's a goody-goody.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in priggish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of goody-goody
Fletcher Peters, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
This somewhat spotty touring production stars Lauren Samuels as the misunderstood villain Elphaba and Austen Danielle Bohmer as the goody-goody Glinda, the iconic characters originally played by Idina Mendel and Kristin Chenoweth.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The Trump rule presumed these goody-goody considerations got in the way of profitability and that a retirement adviser who accommodated them couldn’t fulfill his professional responsibility to maximize his client’s return.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023
Adjective
But the tension between evil Max and goody-goody Pippa makes my heart do backflips.
—Fletcher Peters, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
This somewhat spotty touring production stars Lauren Samuels as the misunderstood villain Elphaba and Austen Danielle Bohmer as the goody-goody Glinda, the iconic characters originally played by Idina Mendel and Kristin Chenoweth.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The Trump rule presumed these goody-goody considerations got in the way of profitability and that a retirement adviser who accommodated them couldn’t fulfill his professional responsibility to maximize his client’s return.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goody-goody
Noun
-
David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
-
In the Herbert Ross film, Bacon played big-city teen Ren McCormack, who moves to the small town of Bomont, where its stick-in-the-mud local minster, the Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), has instituted a ban on dancing.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
9 Nov. 2023
Adjective
-
The pious townspeople eat food for sustenance, not enjoyment, and for over a decade Babette dutifully prepares a rather drab-looking bread soup for the sisters, per their instructions.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
21 Dec. 2024
-
And yet something about her pious active listening face really gets to Urs.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Expect high-quality Northern English ingredients — from Lindisfarne oysters to Whitby crab — served with Asian flair in a rustic dining room with an open kitchen.—
Jessica Macdonald,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Jan. 2025
-
There’s nothing animatronic about the crabs skittering in the turquoise surf on the southeastern tip of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.—
Mark Gauert,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
As plans for January premières, luncheons, and awards shows were upended, we were treated to an almost moralistic spectacle of Tinseltown frivolities colliding with the elemental dictates of Mother Nature.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2025
-
And understanding that pleasure and pain relief are not necessarily joined at the hip might help the rest of us be less moralistic about adversity in everyday life.—
Richard A. Friedman,
The Atlantic,
29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The Comstock Act is a relic, not just of a more prudish era in American history, but of an age when the sort of individual rights that modern Americans take for granted effectively did not exist.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
27 May 2024
-
Emily, perhaps true to her prudish Adderall-y millennial type, is not especially flirty.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2024
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
Adjective
-
Unmatched in its warmth, its delightful disposition, its ability to inspire you—not with high fashion or sanctimonious pontificating or streets walled with money—but just by being its easy, sunny self.—
Allure Editors,
Allure,
17 Jan. 2025
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He was seen by some, then and later, as prickly and sanctimonious.—
Susan Page,
USA TODAY,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Who can forget the sparkling black halterneck dress worn by Isabella Rossellini’s femme fatale lounge singer in Blue Velvet, or the prim cardigans worn by Naomi Watts in Muholland Drive as Betty, a wide-eyed, small-town girl arriving in Los Angeles for the first time?—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
17 Jan. 2025
-
One sketch, vetoed by the network, had Tomlin playing a prim mother, Mrs. Beasley, calling her son in from the back yard, which was actually a war zone, ablaze with exploding mortar shells.—
Susan Morrison,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to goody-goody
Thesaurus Entries Near goody-goody
Cite this Entry
“Goody-goody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goody-goody. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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