preppy

or prep·pie

[ prep-ee ]

/ ˈprɛp i /

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noun, plural prep·pies.

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

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

adjective, prep·pi·er, prep·pi·est.

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

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

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Origin of preppy

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; prep + -y¹, -y²

Words nearby preppy

prepossessing, prepossession, preposterous, prepotency, prepotent, preppy, preprandial, prepreference, prepress, preprimary, preprint

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use preppy in a sentence

One subplot involves a bris, and there’s pointed talk of how preppy icon Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx.
Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd's The Shrink Next Door Is a Major Disappointment|Judy Berman|November 8, 2021|Time
Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The collection was a mix of playfully preppy and downtown cool, and, as always, was wearable in a very different way.
The Coolest Kids on the Block: Public School, Opening Ceremony, and Band of Outsiders|Erin Cunningham|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The result is a spectacular mash-up of aspirationally misguided 1990s preppy style.
Finally! ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Is Hollywood’s First 1990s Period Piece|Andrew Romano|December 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The two collaborate on one-off projects, with the possibility of a preppy-branded line in the future.
Terrapin Stationers, the Most Badass New Stationer|Lauren Sherman|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A little girl wearing preppy clothes with a kitten—people want to be like her and wear those same clothes.
Ralph Lauren Child Model, From Roadside to Runway|Claire Stern|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for preppy

preppy

/ (ˈprɛpɪ) informal /

adjective

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

noun plural -pies

a person exhibiting such style

Word Origin for preppy

C20: originally US, from preppy a person who attends or has attended a preparatory school before college

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

preppy

or prep·pie

Origin of preppy

Words nearby preppy

Words related to preppy

How to use preppy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for preppy

Word Origin for preppy