old-womanish en · ADJ
Etymology
From old woman + -ish.
Meanings
-
Having the negative traits of a stereotypical elderly woman: peevish, superstitious, prim and proper, etc.
He did not say that he thought her position stiff, and her dress too old for her, though he had thought it, and smiled at the prim, old-womanish figure, sitting so erect in the high-backed chair.
1900, Mary Jane Holmes, Millbank; or Roger Irving's Ward, page 85:If we would exercise ourselves unto godliness, we must refuse profane and old-womanish tales. Much of the teaching and preaching in Christianity today falls in the category of old-womanish tales.
2001, Witness Lee, Life-Study of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, page 73:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more old-womanish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most old-womanish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |