If you describe someone as strait-laced, you disapprove of them because they have very strict views about what kind of behaviour is moral or acceptable.
[disapproval]
He was criticised for being boring, strait-laced and narrow-minded.
Our unconventional behaviour did in fact shock some of our more straitlaced friends.
Synonyms: puritanical, proper, prim, narrow More Synonyms of strait-laced
strait-laced in British English
or straight-laced
adjective
prudish or puritanical
strait-laced in American English
(ˈstræɪtˈleɪst)
adjective
1. Archaic
a.
tightly laced, as a corset
b.
wearing tightly laced garments
2.
narrowly strict or severe in behavior or moral views
Examples of 'strait-laced' in a sentence
strait-laced
`I suppose you could say that I'm living as a loose woman, but really I'm very strait-laced about marriage -- other people's marriages.
Melville, Anne THE HARDIE INHERITANCE
Not so incredible as it might seem, the latter: most of these Mafia merchants are decidedly strait-laced when it comes to the family.