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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Recent Examples of schoolmarm
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
All the the things people criticize her for — schoolmarm-ish, lecturing, dour, droning — are music to your ears.
—Jim Geraghty, National Review, 23 Sep. 2019
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
All the the things people criticize her for — schoolmarm-ish, lecturing, dour, droning — are music to your ears.
—Jim Geraghty, National Review, 23 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schoolmarm
Noun
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Middleton, who was sent to Dozier between 1959 and 1961, recalled being beaten six times for infractions that included eating blackberries off a fence and mispronouncing a teacher’s name.Kate Payne, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
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William Daugherty, a Del Valle teacher who is on his fourth round of lymphoma treatment, was gifted box after box of cleaning supplies to help him during his new treatment.Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 1 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Israeli spy agencies have uncovered information about Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr's plans to marry his four mistresses over the phone, according to a report.Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
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But Optimus, who in the video seems more than happy to be at his mistress’s beck and call, appears less subservient in a series of pictures in which Kardashian, wearing spike heels and lingerie, poses beside him and a gold Tesla Cybercab.Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Overall, instructors say that their students’ use of AI tools is freeing them up to teach higher-level thinking that used to be reserved for advanced classes.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Dec. 2024
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Taking place during the events of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the action flick also stars recruiter Ian McShane and training camp instructor Sharon Duncan-Brewster.Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near schoolmarm
Cite this Entry
“Schoolmarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schoolmarm. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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