as in stick-in-the-mud
informal + disapproving
a person (such as a child) whose good behavior and politeness are annoying because they seem to be excessive or not sincere
The other kids don't like her because she's a goody-goody.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in priggish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of goody-goody
Fletcher Peters, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
This somewhat spotty touring production stars Lauren Samuels as the misunderstood villain Elphaba and Austen Danielle Bohmer as the goody-goody Glinda, the iconic characters originally played by Idina Mendel and Kristin Chenoweth.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The Trump rule presumed these goody-goody considerations got in the way of profitability and that a retirement adviser who accommodated them couldn’t fulfill his professional responsibility to maximize his client’s return.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023
Adjective
But the tension between evil Max and goody-goody Pippa makes my heart do backflips.
—Fletcher Peters, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
This somewhat spotty touring production stars Lauren Samuels as the misunderstood villain Elphaba and Austen Danielle Bohmer as the goody-goody Glinda, the iconic characters originally played by Idina Mendel and Kristin Chenoweth.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The Trump rule presumed these goody-goody considerations got in the way of profitability and that a retirement adviser who accommodated them couldn’t fulfill his professional responsibility to maximize his client’s return.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goody-goody
Noun
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David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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In the Herbert Ross film, Bacon played big-city teen Ren McCormack, who moves to the small town of Bomont, where its stick-in-the-mud local minster, the Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), has instituted a ban on dancing.EW.com, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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Paxton, pious to the end, responds by talking about the Great Prayer Experiment, a (very real) series of studies that sought to test whether prayer has any tangible healing impact — and conclusively found there to be not.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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Like his father, the junior Winthrop was a pious Christian.Ed Simon, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The landscape also included large primates, rodents, snakes, crabs — and even carnivorous marsupials.Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
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Villa Avellana Who Stays There: Tech entrepreneurs, bank CEOs, music producers, and entertainers The Property: A modern, teak-and-glass villa on a secluded cove with red land crabs, white egrets, and turtle nests.Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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As if predicting this kind of encounter, Kyunghee is moralistic about Sunja’s decision to let Mozasu work in what is seen as an ignoble business, the haunt of gangsters and ne’er-do-wellers.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
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These are not virtues in a moralistic sense but, rather, habits of excellence inspired by definitions from ancient philosophy.Sarah Elk, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The Comstock Act is a relic, not just of a more prudish era in American history, but of an age when the sort of individual rights that modern Americans take for granted effectively did not exist.Ian Millhiser, Vox, 27 May 2024
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Emily, perhaps true to her prudish Adderall-y millennial type, is not especially flirty.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Her characters were women whose roles often implied their own eventual replacements: teachers, fading former love interests, fuddy-duddy old-fashioned relics.Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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The good news is that for every fuddy-duddy like myself who can’t seem to get on board with crowdfunding kids’ lives, there are twice as many generous, kind-hearted individuals willing to give a little—or a lot—toward schools, sports, and charities.Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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Trolls claim to be puncturing pieties, saving the sanctimonious from themselves.Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
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Fiennes is backed by a stellar supporting cast that, in addition to Tucci's firebrand Bellini, included John Lithgow as a sanctimonious curate and Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Benitez, intriguing and comforting in his calm stillness.Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Is she meant to be read as a little prim and repressed?Rachel Handler, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2024
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Gomez and her boyfriend, producer Benny Blanco, chose a classic couples' costume for their weekend celebration, with Gomez looking prim and proper in a blonde wig and dusty blue Rodarte gown to play the role of Alice.Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Goody-goody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goody-goody. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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