One word noun for "rule-follower"

Question

I'm looking for a single word noun that would perfectly summarize the stereotypical nerdy uptight virgin student council president.

Basically, a more proper version of the slang word "square": a person who always does what they're supposed to even if it means sacrificing things like fun and happiness and who casts a judgemental gaze on anyone who does otherwise.

I'm trying to describe a certain person, and so far I've got "an OCD, judgemental, paranoid, uptight", but I need a noun to finish it off.

I would use the noun "conformist" or the phrase "utterly conventional person." — Sven Yargs, May 01 '13 at 01:59
It's not proper unfortunately, but a fun word I found recently is wowser. — , May 01 '13 at 02:38
Authoritarian followers. [source (PDF)] Not a single word noun, obviously, so I am offering it in comment. — MetaEd, May 01 '13 at 04:24
@SvenYargs +1 for conformist. Utterly conventional sounds tame, and too positive to be good. — Kris, May 01 '13 at 05:15
by the way, the student council president in my class was smart, yes, but popular and not nerdy or "square". — Charles, May 01 '13 at 20:31
@Charles My own high school spy was so! She was like a populist politician. — Persian Cat, May 01 '13 at 22:32
backlink: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/349768/what-word-describes-a-person-who-always-follows-the-rules is higher rated, and has (IMHO better) answer: stickler — Peter M. - stands for Monica, Apr 22 '19 at 20:54

score 8 · Answer 1 · answered May 01 '13 at 05:13

con·form·ist (kn-fôrmst)

n. A person who uncritically or habitually conforms to the customs, rules, or styles of a group.
adj. Marked by conformity or convention: "Underneath the image, teenagers today are surprisingly conformist" (Selina S. Guber).
[emphasis mine]

The RHD entry qualifies the definition with "especially unquestioningly," in place of uncritically. The urbanDictionary sounds more like gingerly :)

alternatively,
fa·nat·ic (f-ntk)

n. A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

Charles · Answer 2 · 2013-05-01T20:48:15.063

7

Some multi-word answers included because they are idiomatic phrases.

These have the sense of "snooty, upright, and overly rule-abiding"
- Goody two-shoes*
- Goody-goody*
- Puritan
- Priss
- Prude
- Prig
These have a sense of "someone who makes things less fun" or "someone who doesn't participate when others are doing something fun"
- Fuddy-duddy*
- Killjoy*
- Stick-in-the-mud*
- Wet blanket*
- Spoilsport
- Party pooper*

* These words are slang

edited May 01 '13 at 20:48

answered May 01 '13 at 01:37

Charles

2,289

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The OP has asked for ONE word. – Persian Cat May 01 '13 at 10:35
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@PersianCat, what's your point? This is a great list of suitable nouns (though the multi-word nouns should be hyphenated, for example, "Stick-in-the-mud".) – Kristina Lopez May 01 '13 at 18:04
It is clear. The OP asked for one word not for a list of words. It can make confusion as s/he has written above: "so far I've got "an OCD, judgemental, paranoid, uptight", but I need a noun to finish it off." S/he is right because surely all of them can not have the same meaning. Look at this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synonym. Many of his/her suggested words don't meet the meaning of the OP's context like "Spoilsport" which means: A person who spoils others' pleasure. At finally all of them are slang and may not convey the meaning in a formal text for all audiences. – Persian Cat May 01 '13 at 18:16
@PersianCat The questioner asked for single-word nouns, which is very different from insisting on a single suggestion. – Bradd Szonye May 06 '13 at 21:55
+1. ‘Goody-two-shoes’ was the first word that popped into my mind as well. @PersianCat, I highly doubt this is for a formal text for all audiences—if it were, I would advise against describing people as “OCD, judgmental, paranoid, uptight” anythings. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Aug 15 '13 at 13:15
@JanusBahsJacquet: PersianCat wasn't describing people as “OCD, judgmental, paranoid, uptight” anythings; he was simply quoting the question. – Scott - Слава Україні Sep 22 '16 at 22:46
@Scott I never said they did. My point was that since the asker is looking for a noun to finish the phrase “an OCD, judgmental, paranoid, uptight _____”, it seems unlikely that the context is a formal text for all audiences. Or at least, if it is, then finding an appropriate noun to end the phrase is the least of Meggo's worries. Complaining that someone gives colloquial and informal options for what has all the markings of a colloquial context (and for that matter, complaining about multiple options being given) is disingenuous, which was my beef with Persian Cat’s comments. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Sep 22 '16 at 23:09

Persian Cat · Answer 3 · 2013-05-01T01:59:57.070

2

Dogmatist

Noun 1. a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions

edited May 01 '13 at 01:59

answered May 01 '13 at 01:49

Persian Cat

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score 2 · Answer 4 · answered May 01 '13 at 22:02

2

A common term in the UK is jobsworth, as in "I can't do that [ie break the rules], it's more than my job's worth."

The phrase has contracted to become a one-word noun.

Or how about stickler?

answered May 01 '13 at 22:02

Mynamite

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I love that word. :-) – Pitarou May 20 '13 at 23:08

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered May 05 '13 at 22:27

Bureaucrat?

Not quite a synonym for "square" but it might fit since the context is of someone in an official position - and they are a person who always does what they're supposed to even if it means sacrificing things like fun and happiness and who casts a judgemental gaze on anyone who does otherwise.

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered May 20 '13 at 23:05

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Acolyte is a single word that describes a follower of something - often religious but can be used more generally and especially when being slightly derogatory.

answered May 20 '13 at 23:05

Sam

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 15 '13 at 13:08

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My preferred terms are priggish and wowser.

Here are a few others:

straitlaced, Mrs. Grundy, nice-nelly, bluenose

answered Aug 15 '13 at 13:08

user49727

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score 0 · Answer 8 · answered May 22 '13 at 20:53

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Beta is a single word that carries the non-Alpha characteristic you describe.

answered May 22 '13 at 20:53

Alpha

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score -1 · Answer 9 · answered Sep 11 '13 at 21:48

-1

Poindexter:

"One who looks like a nerd but does not have the intelligence of a nerd."

answered Sep 11 '13 at 21:48

P05TMAN

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One word noun for "rule-follower"

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