old-maidish
Primly fussy, uptight
Old-maidish describes fussy, prim, or overly cautious behavior stereotypically associated with unmarried older women.
The term carries connotations of excessive propriety, nervous worry over small matters, and resistance to change: He had an old-maidish way of arranging his desk just so.
The word is dated and mildly offensive, trading on the assumption that spinsters become finicky and anxious.
Affectedly proper and stiff
- priggishSmugly self-righteous
- puritanicalExcessively strict about morals
- straitlacedExcessively proper and conventional
- properSocially appropriate
demure · modest · Victorian · squeamish · fastidious · fussy · prissy · censorious
Belonging to earlier times
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- quaintAttractively unfamiliar, outdated
- unfashionableNot currently stylish
- dowdyUnstylish in appearance
frumpy · stuffy · fusty · musty · behind-the-times · outmoded · outdated · passe
Specific or fussy
- finickyExcessively particular, hard to satisfy
- persnicketyExcessively concerned with details
- fastidiousExcessively attentive to detail
- meticulousShowing extreme attention to detail
nitpicky · exacting · overcautious · nervous · anxious · worrying · fretting · dithering
prim
Affectedly proper and stiff
- priggishSmugly self-righteous
- puritanicalExcessively strict about morals
- straitlacedExcessively proper and conventional
proper · demure · modest · Victorian · squeamish · fastidious · fussy · prissy · censorious · disapproving
old-fashioned
Belonging to earlier times
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- quaintAttractively unfamiliar, outdated
- unfashionableNot currently stylish
dowdy · frumpy · stuffy · fusty · musty · behind-the-times · outmoded · outdated · passe · Victorian
particular
Specific or fussy
- finickyExcessively particular, hard to satisfy
- persnicketyExcessively concerned with details
- fastidiousExcessively attentive to detail
meticulous · nitpicky · exacting · overcautious · nervous · anxious · worrying · fretting · dithering · timid
old-maidishunfussy
Not particular or demanding
laid-back · easygoing · undemanding · undiscriminating · lax
old-maidishcarefree
Free from anxiety
relaxed · easygoing · laid-back · devil-may-care · happy-go-lucky
old-maidishworldly
Experienced in practical affairs
uninhibited · bohemian · free-spirited · sophisticated · cosmopolitan
maid, oldest, maiden, old maid, oldness, maidenly, maidenhood, maidhood