as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas
the committee is dominated by old stick-in-the-muds who have little interest in bringing new ideas to the table
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Recent Examples of stick-in-the-mud
Bostwick starred as the naive stick-in-the-mud and fiancé of Janice, Brad.
—
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
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, 9 Nov. 2023
David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
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, 9 Nov. 2023
David Corenswet plays, quite literally, a stick-in-the-mud character.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stick-in-the-mud
Noun
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Six Supreme Court justices were there—only the conservatives.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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But other conservatives, including Senator Ted Cruz, objected to the heavy hand of government approach.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The front office also faced growing concerns about whether Reese’s presence would deter the signing of returning veterans and key free agents the Sky had targeted.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Two Patriots veteran free-agent additions, outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, addressed the media on Thursday as the offseason workout program wrapped up for the week.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There’s no old fogey-ness to Lorne.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
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For the benefit of us old fogies?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Burgess Shale is one of a small handful of Cambrian deposits that reach the level of Lagerstätten, a German term used to describe incredibly diverse and exceptionally preserved fossil sites.—
Marlowe Starling,
Quanta Magazine,
1 May 2026
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Recent fossil discoveries hint at when and how birds started making this journey.—
Kate Wong,
Scientific American,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stick-in-the-mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stick-in-the-mud. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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