What does wowser mean?
Wowser is chiefly a British English noun for a person regarded as excessively puritanical or moralistic. It is strongly derogatory and typically implies that the person is self-righteous, restrictive, and hostile to pleasure, recreation, or unconventional behaviour. The word can be used literally about people seen as prudish, but it may also be applied more broadly to institutions, policies, or public attitudes portrayed as priggish or censorious. In a sentence, however, it most naturally denotes an individual: critics called the regulator a wowser who had made enjoyment impossible. Because it carries a distinctly moral and political edge, the term is not a neutral substitute for “strict” or “conservative.” Its value lies in its ability to compress suspicion of coercive moralism into a single, memorable label. The expression belongs mainly to British and Australian usage and is chiefly informal, so writers should choose it when informality and pointed criticism are appropriate.
nounA derogatory term for a person regarded as excessively puritanical or moralistic, especially one who disapproves of pleasure, entertainment, or unconventional behaviour.
- A person considered excessively puritanical, moralistic, or disapproving of pleasure and unconventional behaviour.
"His relatives regarded anyone who enjoyed late-night dancing as a hopeless wowser."
"The newspaper dismissed the committee as a group of puritanical wowsers."
"Critics called him a wowser merely for objecting to the exhibition."
The standard plural of the noun, used when referring to more than one person regarded as excessively puritanical or moralistic.
"The tabloids dismissed both critics as wowsers."
Evelyn Waugh helped popularize “wowser” as a distinctly British verbal jab at people who equate pleasure with wrongdoing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wowser
First attested in early-20th-century British English, the word became especially associated with novelist Evelyn Waugh and the 1930s. Its precise origin is uncertain, so it should not confidently be treated as a simple blend of “wow” and another element.
Related word forms
How wowser is actually used
Informal and strongly pejorative. It most often refers to people, but it can also be used attributively when describing an institution, policy, or attitude perceived as moralistic or censorious.