Schoolmasterly

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the stern, pedantic, or overly instructive manner characteristic of a teacher who lectures and corrects others
2. Behaving in the strict, fussy, and didactic way associated with a headmaster or classroom instructor
3. Typical of a schoolmaster in being prim, corrective, and inclined to lecture people as if they were pupils

Etymology: "Schoolmasterly" is simply "schoolmaster" with the adjectival ending "-ly" added, and it describes the manner of someone who behaves like a teacher of the old-fashioned sort: strict, precise, and fond of correcting others. The base word combines "school" with "master," a person in charge of teaching, and the compound has long been used to suggest the unbending authority once associated with that role. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ly" turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having the character of" or "resembling" the noun, so "fatherly," "kingly," and "womanly" all follow the same pattern. Applied to "schoolmaster," it produces a word that characterises a tone or habit rather than a job, which explains why it is most often used for speech and writing that lectures or corrects.

Synonyms: pedantic, strict, prim, didactic, stern

Antonyms: lax, permissive, relaxed, easygoing, indulgent