priggish

adjective

Definition of priggishnext
as in staid

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of priggish Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026 Ghaywan’s script is explicit but never priggish in its moral standing, letting the outstanding performances drive home the perils of bigotry more than any grandstanding dialogue. — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priggish
  1. staid
  2. prudish
  3. stuffy
  4. puritanical
  5. straitlaced
  6. Victorian
  7. prim
Adjective
  • The normally staid, stiff-upper-lipped British public was first bereaved.
    — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Still, it’s been 10 years since the wordmark was updated, and in the current fruit fly life cycle of frenzied tech rebirths, that’s almost staid.
    — Aurich Lawson, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of staid
Adjective
  • But rather than interrogate this evil premise, the movie instead feels quite prudish.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Cross-dressing was prohibited, as were speeches that mocked or questioned the party’s prudish, pro-family, heteronormative views on gender and sexuality; traditional German culture was to be celebrated, not mocked.
    — Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of prudish
Adjective
  • This light, airy matching set provides coverage without feeling stuffy or constricting.
    — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026
  • With less humidity in the air, your home should start to feel less stuffy, even without lowering the thermostat and making your air conditioner work harder.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of stuffy
Adjective
  • She’s been attacked, her puritanical sister has landed from America, and murder is starting to feel less like a paranoid theory than a reasonable working assumption.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 22 June 2026
  • Perhaps because of its puritanical roots, any place that serves alcohol in Boston also has to have a full menu—so there aren’t straight-up bars here or anywhere else.
    — Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026
Definition of puritanical
Adjective
  • Maki is spunky and more tomboy-ish, while Omura is the more straightlaced and serious of the two.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 7 July 2026
  • Six decades after the fact, even a straitlaced researcher such as myself can still wonder about a thing or two—an ex-CIA guy here, a Cuban paramilitary group there.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
Definition of straitlaced
Adjective
  • In St Leonard’s a good choice is St Benedict’s BnB, a quirky guesthouse filled with Victorian memorabilia.
    — Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • Begonias, once adored during the Victorian Era, are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Definition of Victorian
Adjective
  • Over a period of two decades—in the prim ’50s and the looser ’60s—every stylish film in Hollywood seemed to star Audrey Hepburn.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 24 July 2026
  • The best restaurant sauces can tempt even the most prim and proper of us to lift up our plates and lick them clean.
    — Rochelle Bilow, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 July 2026
Definition of prim

Browse Nearby Words

priggery
priggish
priggishly
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Cite this Entry

“Priggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priggish. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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