stuffed-shirt
Self-important stiff
A stuffed shirt is someone who is pompous, self-important, and rigidly conventional—all formality and no substance.
The image suggests a shirt that holds its shape without a real person inside.
Don't be such a stuffed shirt—loosen your tie and have some fun.
The term is mildly insulting but often playful.
Not easily bent
- rigidUnable to bend
- ceremoniousFormally observant, ritualistic
- properSocially appropriate
- starchedMade stiff with sizing
buttoned-up · strait-laced · prim · protocol · etiquette · decorum · stuffy · uptight
Excessively high self-regard
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- self-importantExaggerating one's own significance
- condescendingSuperior and dismissive manner
- haughtyDisdainfully proud
supercilious · overbearing · patronizing · smug · grandiose · highfalutin · vainglorious · pontifical
Adherent to established customs
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- conformistOne following accepted norms
- staidSerious and conventional
- fuddy-duddyOld-fashioned, overly fussy person
stick-in-the-mud · orthodox · provincial · hidebound · fusty · square · conventional · establishment
Self-appointed arbiter of taste
- aristocratPerson of noble birth
- bluebloodPerson of noble birth
- patricianHighborn Roman elite
- hoity-toityAffectedly superior in manner
nose-in-the-air · upper-crust · disdainful · contemptuous · scornful · sneering · lofty · bourgeois
stiff
Not easily bent
- rigidUnable to bend
- ceremoniousFormally observant, ritualistic
- properSocially appropriate
starched · buttoned-up · strait-laced · prim · protocol · etiquette · decorum · stuffy · uptight · reserved
arrogant
Excessively high self-regard
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- self-importantExaggerating one's own significance
- condescendingSuperior and dismissive manner
haughty · supercilious · overbearing · patronizing · smug · grandiose · highfalutin · vainglorious · pontifical · bloviating
traditionalist
Adherent to established customs
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- conformistOne following accepted norms
- staidSerious and conventional
fuddy-duddy · stick-in-the-mud · orthodox · provincial · hidebound · fusty · square · conventional · establishment · reactionary
snob
Self-appointed arbiter of taste
- aristocratPerson of noble birth
- bluebloodPerson of noble birth
- patricianHighborn Roman elite
hoity-toity · nose-in-the-air · upper-crust · disdainful · contemptuous · scornful · sneering · lofty · bourgeois · pedigree
stuffed-shirtfree spirit
Uninhibited, unconventional person
nonconformist · bohemian · hippie · slob · slacker
stuffed-shirtregular guy
Unpretentious common person
man of the people · regular Joe · salt of the earth · everyman · mensch
stuffed-shirtgood sport
Person accepting outcomes cheerfully
life of the party · people person · teddy bear · sweetheart · good-time Charlie
stuffed, shirt, stuff, stuffs, stuffing, stuffer, shirts, shirted, shirting