prig
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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Scot. and North England. to haggle or argue over price.
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British Informal. to beg or entreat; ask a favor.
noun
verb
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have priggedperfect
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has priggedperfect 3rd person singular
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am priggingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been priggingperfect progressive
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has been priggingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are priggingprogressive
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is priggingprogressive 3rd person singular
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prigssingular 3rd person
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priggingparticiple
Past
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had priggedperfect
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had been priggingperfect progressive
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was priggingprogressive singular
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were priggingprogressive plural
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priggedparticiple
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priggedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of prig1
First recorded in 1560–70; formerly, “coxcomb”; perhaps akin to prink
Origin of prig2
First recorded in 1505–15; originally thieves' cant; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you act like you're better than everyone else, they might start calling you a prig — a snobby and arrogant person. A prig might lecture his friends about their manners, or complain about having to eat at a diner instead of a fancier restaurant. Prigs tend to be self-centered and uptight and aren't much fun to be around. In the eighteenth century, prig meant "precise in speech in manners," and implied someone who was deeply religious. The origin of the word is a mystery — its earlier meanings included "dandy or fop" and "thief."
Vocabulary lists containing prig
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here we are brought face to face, in a pictorial sense, with the hypocrite, Mr. Pecksniff, the abstemious Mrs. Gamp and her bosom friend, Betsy Prig, simple Tom Pinch and his charming sister, Ruth.
From 'Phiz' (Hablot Knight Browne), a Memoir. by Kitton, Fred. G.
Prig saw in a moment she had made a mistake, and when Willie rushed at her with uplifted hammer, hid behind the summer-house.
From Happy Days for Boys and Girls by Various
It was a long time before she was the lively Prig she used to be, and was always a little lame in her left fore foot.
From Happy Days for Boys and Girls by Various
"Prig," said mother sweetly, as if a prig were a pleasant thing to be.
From The Wishing Moon by Dutton, Louise Elizabeth
I would not kill Prig, for then she would be gone too, and to-morrow you would be sorry.
From Happy Days for Boys and Girls by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
