old-maidish C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˌoʊldˈmeɪdɪʃ/ UK /ˌəʊldˈmeɪdɪʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj excessively prim, fussy, or particular in a way stereotypically associated with an unmarried older woman His old-maidish concern about table settings amused his friends. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · excessively prim, fussy, or... primfussyfinickyfastidious More pernickety ↔ Opposites casualeasygoing Word family Related forms old maidmaidenish Etymology Formed in English from old maid and the adjective-forming suffix -ish. It reflects an old and now often offensive stereotype that unmarried older women are prim, fussy, or overly particular. Topics Describing People External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # old-maidish **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˌoʊldˈmeɪdɪʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊldˈmeɪdɪʃ/ ## Meanings 1. excessively prim, fussy, or particular in a way stereotypically associated with an unmarried older woman ## Examples - His old-maidish concern about table settings amused his friends. ## Synonyms - prim - fussy - finicky - fastidious - pernickety ## Antonyms - casual - easygoing ## Related Forms - old maid - maidenish ## Etymology Formed in English from old maid and the adjective-forming suffix -ish. It reflects an old and now often offensive stereotype that unmarried older women are prim, fussy, or overly particular. ## Topics - Describing People markdown