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standpat

standpat

9.9
Not willing to change and sticking to old ways
  • adjective
  • /ˈstændˌpæt/
  • US
translation icon : conservador
  • He held a standpat view on social issues, resisting any suggestion of reform.

Examples

  • The company's standpat policies prevented it from adapting to the new market trends.

  • Thus, it is likely to be a standpat budget that provides for constant services plus inflation and contains footnotes and appendices explaining any unusual or additional items.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Many criticized the committee's standpat approach, arguing that innovation was necessary for success.

Synonyms

die-hard
vsstandpat
22 7.9

Very unwilling to accept change or new ideas

is resistant to change but usually less intensely stubborn
traditionalist
vsstandpat
6 6.5

Holding strongly to old customs and resisting change

is a broader description of being out of date and resistant
archconservative
vsstandpat
1 8.4

Very traditional in politics and strongly against change

is more general old-style resistance not limited to politics
fusty
vsstandpat
1 9.9

Old-fashioned and slow to accept new ideas

refers to resisting change in beliefs rather than stale quality
nonprogressive
vsstandpat
1 8.0

Old-fashioned and not open to change

is about holding older beliefs and resisting change
unprogressive
vsstandpat
7.7

Not willing to accept new ideas and slow to change

focuses on holding old views rather than only refusing development
dinosaurian
vsstandpat
  • Offensive
9.1

Very old-fashioned and against change

is about being old-fashioned and resistant in a general way

Antonyms

1.4

Relating to the present time and new ways of doing things

251 4.8

Supporting new social changes in politics to make society fairer

How Traditional

archaic
34 9.9
standpat
  • US
9.9
old-fashioned
149 4.7
traditional
994 1.5
conventional
175 2.8
modern
1.4

Surface Forms

standpat positive

Morphology

standpat = stand + pat (semi-transparent) = stand + pat

Built from the idiomatic phrase 'stand pat' meaning 'refuse to change'; the adjectival sense is a direct extension but somewhat idiomatic and may not be obvious from the parts alone.

Etymology

Standpat comes from an old card-game phrase stand pat, where a player 'keeps' their cards instead of swapping them. So a standpat person or policy 'refuses to change' and stays with old ideas, just like a player who keeps the same hand.