starchlyadv.
/ˈstɑːtʃli/, U.S. /ˈstɑrtʃli/ In a stiff, formal, or prim manner; starchily.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [adverb] > not affably
strangelyc1374
coldly1550
squeamishly1571
coolly1627
chilly1640
reservedly1710
repulsively1725
starchly1755
chillinglyc1784
distantly1798
uncordially1811
stiffly1823
frozenly1851
pokerishly1867
chillily1886
standoffishly1892
aloofly1963
the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > ceremony or formality > [adverb] > with observance of social formality
precisely1526
punctually1598
formally?1611
nicelya1616
punctiliously1698
starchly1755
pokerishly1867
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Starchly, stiffly, precisely.
1784 T. Davies Dramatic Misc. I. iii. 41 His whole behaviour was so starchly studied, that it appeared..more resembling his own Lord Foppington than a great and dignified churchman.
1832 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 24 Jan. One [newspaper] swaggers as usual, while the other is witlessly flippant and starchly jocose.
1892 Belgravia Feb. 198 An Englishman's thoughts march out of his mind dressed starchly, smugly, and as for church; while a Scotchman's thoughts take a good look out of the window before they venture out at all.
1912 B. White Call of Carpenter ii. 23 If Mary had been the conventional, the starchly decorous creature which some would prefer her to have been, Christianity would never have been born.
2007 S. Taylor Until Proven Innocent (2008) 150 ‘Do we need legal counsel here?’ asked Moneta starchly. No, said Pressler, I just want to have a conversation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1755