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Glite Dictionary
old-womanish

old-womanish

9.3
Being too fussy about small things in a way seen as typical of older women
  • adjective
  • /oʊld ˈwʊmənɪʃ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : mojigato (ofensivo, arcaico)
  • His old-womanish concern with manners made him unpopular with the students.

Examples

  • She has an old-womanish tendency to straighten everything on her desk.

  • Her old-womanish ways annoyed her younger friends.

  • Don't be so old-womanish about keeping the kitchen spotless.

  • Don't be so old-womanish about the mess!

  • She has an old-womanish attitude, always criticizing others for not following proper etiquette.

  • His old-womanish tendency to organize every detail made planning the event much more complicated.

  • People often found her old-womanish approach to be charming, as she insisted on using handwritten invitations and floral arrangements.

Synonyms

prissy
vsold-womanish
  • Informal
13 7.9

Too fussy about being neat and proper

is fussier tied to an older woman stereotype rather than being easily shocked
prim
vsold-womanish
4 7.0

Very formal and proper in a stiff, old-fashioned way

is more about fussy fastidiousness linked to an older woman stereotype than formal correctness
old-maidish
vsold-womanish
  • Offensive
9.9

Being very fussy about neatness and proper behaviour

is similar but specifically tied to the stereotype of older women

Antonyms

carefree
41 2.9

Not feeling worried or responsible

unrefined
  • Offensive
1 6.0

A person who lacks good manners or social skills

How Prim

old-womanish
  • Offensive
9.3
fastidious
8 8.0
prim
8 7.9
proper
596 2.2

Surface Forms

old-womanish positive

Morphology

old-womanish = old + woman (transparent) = old + woman + ish

The immediate base is the clear compound 'old' + 'woman' and the productive suffix '-ish' straightforwardly means 'like or characteristic of'.

Etymology

Old-womanish comes from old + woman with the ending -ish, which means 'like' or 'in the style of'. It paints the picture of behaviour people often imagine from an older woman — very fussy or prim — so the word means 'too fussy or prim'.