party pooper

plural party poopers · alternative party-pooper

1. informalOne who dampens fun; especially, one who declines to participate in or enjoy a party or some other group activity; one who does not agree with the opinions of a group.

   Still, it's not something that any country can easily walk away from—not even a Bush administration that has made a habit of being the party pooper in international forums.

   2001 August 1, Tony Karon, “Who's a Racist? Can a UN Conference Decide?”, in Time

   1 more example

   Call me anti-social, call me a holiday-hater, call me Scrooge, call me a party-pooper—call me anything, but please don't call me about a party you're giving because I won't come.

   1971 December 19, Robert Yoakum, “Scrooging up courage for a party”, in Eugene Register-Guardian, page 11A

   Synonyms: buzzkill, killjoy, spoilsport, grinch, grouch, stick-in-the-mud, curmudgeon