variants
or schoolma'am
as in teacher
US, old-fashioned
a woman who teaches in a school in a small town or in the country
In the movie, she plays a doting schoolmarm in colonial New England.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of schoolmarm
The search for a missing schoolmarm is the focus of an escape room experience at the Lanesfield School, a historic one-room schoolhouse in Edgerton.
—
Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2025
University deans, schoolmarms and human resources managers penned dress codes outright forbidding the garment or relegating it to certain areas.
—The Conversation, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2023
Visitors can relive a school experience from the early 20th century, complete with a schoolmarm and an outhouse.
—Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023
Then there’s Jeffrey Wright’s gung-ho military man, Matt Dillon’s bubbleheaded grease monkey, Steve Carell’s apologetic motel owner, Maya Hawke’s friendly schoolmarm, and Rupert Friend’s cowboy loverboy.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2023
In the music video, Gavin plays the titular cheerleader who is smitten with a girl in the program; meanwhile, Bridgers plays the pink-haired schoolmarm in charge, while popular gay comedian Caleb Hearon plays a conflicted gay coach.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022
On hand to enforce the rules is an electronic schoolmarm called Lana, who resembles a Google Home under the influence of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
—Judy Berman, Time, 16 Apr. 2020
The October 2019 cover of Harper’s Bazaar featured Demi Moore dressed in Victorian schoolmarm wear, replete with knotted collar and wire-rimmed glasses.
—Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 11 Feb. 2020
These disingenuous characterizations — the zealous youngster and the wise schoolmarm — are trite.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2019
Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2025
University deans, schoolmarms and human resources managers penned dress codes outright forbidding the garment or relegating it to certain areas.
—The Conversation, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2023
Visitors can relive a school experience from the early 20th century, complete with a schoolmarm and an outhouse.
—Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023
Then there’s Jeffrey Wright’s gung-ho military man, Matt Dillon’s bubbleheaded grease monkey, Steve Carell’s apologetic motel owner, Maya Hawke’s friendly schoolmarm, and Rupert Friend’s cowboy loverboy.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2023
In the music video, Gavin plays the titular cheerleader who is smitten with a girl in the program; meanwhile, Bridgers plays the pink-haired schoolmarm in charge, while popular gay comedian Caleb Hearon plays a conflicted gay coach.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022
On hand to enforce the rules is an electronic schoolmarm called Lana, who resembles a Google Home under the influence of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
—Judy Berman, Time, 16 Apr. 2020
The October 2019 cover of Harper’s Bazaar featured Demi Moore dressed in Victorian schoolmarm wear, replete with knotted collar and wire-rimmed glasses.
—Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, 11 Feb. 2020
These disingenuous characterizations — the zealous youngster and the wise schoolmarm — are trite.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schoolmarm
Noun
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That was bad for teachers and students and was a root cause of growing parental dissatisfaction and mistrust of public education.—
James A. Kadamus,
Hartford Courant,
16 Mar. 2025
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Also watch out from some entertaining comedy moments delivered by Ryan O’Donnell (who plays Cher’s father, the teacher and a driving instructor) and Imelda Warren-Green (who also takes on multiple cameo roles as Miss Geist, Miss Stoeger and Cher’s housekeeper).—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Du Maurier makes good use of many of the usual tropes of the Gothic genre, especially uncanny doubling: Relentlessly and unfavorably compared to the Manderley estate’s bewitching former mistress, the nameless narrator is pushed to the brink of sanity by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
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The castle owes its existence to prominent women who ensured it was restored, including Catherine de’ Medici (married to King Henry II) and Diane de Poitiers (his mistress).—
Kimberley Lovato,
AFAR Media,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Search and recovery diving instructor Juan Heredia, founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team, found Dane after a two-hour dive in the frigid waters of the Siletz River in Lincoln County, Ore., about three miles downstream from the boy’s home, per CNN.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
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As even the instructors at Radford will readily admit, every driver is still a student.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Schoolmarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schoolmarm. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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