preppy

American  

[prep-ee] / ˈprɛp i /

Or preppie

noun

preppies plural

1. a person who is a student at or a graduate of a preparatory school.

2. a person who favors or is viewed as favoring clothing style or behavior associated with traditional preparatory schools.

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adjective

preppier, preppiest

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of preparatory schools or their students.

2. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or being a style in dress or mode of behavior of a preppy.

preppy British  

/ ˈprɛpɪ /

adjective

1. characteristic of or denoting a fashion style of neat, understated, and often expensive clothes; young but classic: suggesting that the wearer is well off, upper class, and conservative

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noun

1. a person exhibiting such style

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• preppies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of preppy

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; prep + -y ¹, -y ²

Explanation

Someone who's preppy either attended an expensive, private high school and an Ivy League college — or just dresses that way. The informal preppy comes from "college preparatory school," its shortened form, "prep school," and the resulting noun prep, used to describe graduates of these elite high schools. You can substitute preppy as a noun, too: "The campus is full of preppies — maybe I'll go to art school instead." Preppy style includes dressing in polo shirts, khaki pants, and boat shoes, or looking like you just finished playing tennis or riding a horse.

Example Sentences

Carroll is expected to testify, as are two friends she spoke to soon after the alleged rape: Lisa Birnbach, who wrote "The Official Preppy Handbook," and former New York news anchor Carol Martin.

From Reuters • Apr. 20, 2023

Thomas wrote of this pen, “The Platinum Preppy is one of the world’s greatest bargains: Made by one of Japan’s big-three pen companies, it is a spectacular writer.”

From Slate • Dec. 3, 2020

There are also spooky treats, and Preppy Kitchen’s John Kanell shows how to make a festive bat cake.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2020

By the time "Unsolved Mysteries" launched in 1987 — squarely between the Preppy Killer case and the disappearance of Tara Calico — I was a ready-made natural audience for it.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2020

“The Preppy Murder” has a deep and abiding interest in this era and atmosphere: how the kids looked, how they talked, what they felt, what New York was like.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2019

Related Words

• Waspy