spinsterish

1 9.8

Very old-fashioned and too strict about dress and habits

adjective
/ˈspɪn.stər.ɪʃ/

Slur

: solterona

She'd wanted to share some spinsterish kind of happiness—not like the harsh ricochet of Lawyer Beagle's laugh, but—how could she express it?—a mood almost spiritual.

Examples

I made a decision during the good ole "true love waits" days to save the big one for a lifelong commitment, but now I must confess that in recent years sexual purity has begun to feel a lot more spinsterish.

Blog text (34)
In chemistry and physics, she seemed harsh, spinsterish, alien.

Fiction book (1997)
I'm afraid she's rather spinsterish.

Suspicion (1941)
And veterans John Halliday and Aileen Pringle provide able support as the elderly, spinsterish 40-year-olds.

Blog text (13)
There were spectacles, gold-rimmed, spinsterish without the adornment of Rosemary's classically sculptured face.

Fiction book (1990)
Won't wanna come back. 21 INT. MCCLANE'S OFFICE - DUSK 21 McClane is talking with another prospective client, a spinsterish, middle-aged woman, Miss Lonelyhearts.

Fiction book (1990)
The character in the novel was often described as spinsterish, with her prim dress and unadventurous lifestyle.
Everyone commented on her spinsterish demeanor, as she preferred reading at home to going out with friends.
Her spinsterish habits included knitting at the same time every evening and avoiding modern technology.

Synonyms

old-fashioned

vsspinsterish

365 4.7

Not in style, like clothes or ideas from an earlier time

adds social judgement linking age and unmarried status with excessive primness

frumpy

vsspinsterish

Informal

11 7.3

Clothes or a person that look old-fashioned and not attractive

implies excessive primness and neatness associated with unmarried older females

matronly

vsspinsterish

4 6.8

Has the calm, caring manner of an older dignified woman

suggests fussy, old fashioned unmarried female traits rather than dignified motherliness

frumpish

vsspinsterish

Informal

1 9.9

Looking plain and out of fashion in a dull way

focuses on unmarried older female habits and appearance beyond mere outdated clothes

old-womanish

vsspinsterish

Offensive

1 9.3

Being too fussy about small things in a way seen as typical of older women

is specific to unmarried older females rather than age alone

old-maidish

vsspinsterish

Offensive

9.9

Being very fussy about neatness and proper behaviour

is broader, pointing to traditional unmarried older female traits beyond neatness

Antonyms

modern

∞ 1.4

Relating to the present time and new ways of doing things

fashionable

80 2.6

Popular now because it follows the current style

How Old-Fashioned

spinsterish

Slur

1 9.8

old-maidish

Offensive

9.9

prim

7.9

stuffy

Informal

31 5.6

old-fashioned

365 4.7

Surface Forms

spinsterish positive

Morphology

spinsterish = spinster (transparent) = spinster + ish

The adjective is formed by the productive suffix '-ish' meaning 'having the qualities of' applied to 'spinster', so its meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Spinsterish comes from spinster, which began as the name for a woman who spun thread or yarn from the verb spin meaning 'to spin' and later came to mean an unmarried older woman. The ending -ish means 'like', so spinsterish means 'like a spinster' — someone who is very formal or old-fashioned.