prude
Americannoun
-
prudes
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prude
First recorded in 1695–1705; from French prude “a prude” (noun), “prudish” (adjective), short for prudefemme, Old French prodefeme “worthy or respectable woman,” equivalent to proud + feme
Explanation
Use prude to describe someone who is too concerned with being proper or modest. It is a derogatory label affixed most often to people who are not forthcoming romantically — and it's not very nice. To be prude is to be prudent, or careful. That’s not a bad thing, but prude is usually an insult. A prude might gasp when someone says a bad word. Prude was borrowed from French, short for prude femme "wise and good woman." Though the word took on a negative meaning, Old French prud also meant "capable or brave" and is probably the source of English proud.
Vocabulary lists containing prude
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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.
See Examples For:
Nobody wants to be unsophisticated, or a prude.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
“I’ve been reminded that I’m a prude of an English boy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
Rivera’s not a prude; he will utter an expletive into the microphone if the occasion calls for it.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2022
I’ll make the season frightful myself with picks from around the world that include a prude mutant, a vengeful witch, a tortured musician and a demonic dinner.
From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2021
But he told the joke well, and Perry, though he was in some measure a prude, could not help laughing, as always.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Georgians, we believe, were smutty, and Victorians were prudes and hypocrites.
From The Guardian ● May 18, 2019
From the start of arguments, it’s clear that the current bench is divided into prudes and cool kids.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2019
If 2018 prudes want to interpret the lyrics as something else; the problem obviously lies in their own minds not in the original lyrics.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2018
Anybody who begrudged her that beer given the conflagration raiding her leg would qualify for a hall of fame of prudes.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 23, 2018
“And those people calling you a prude were prudes once, too,” she adds.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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.
