prudery
Americannoun
plural
pruderies-
excessive propriety or modesty in speech, conduct, etc.
-
pruderies, prudish actions, phrases, or words.
Etymology
Origin of prudery
From the French word pruderie, dating back to 1700–10. See prude, -ery
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.
Poem-sequences dominate Muldoon’s storm of slaps against piety, prudery, cruelty and greed.
From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2021
Thanks to local prudery and Robert Moses, it was never realized.
From The Guardian • Oct. 20, 2019
My objection isn’t rooted in prudery but in artistic tact.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2019
But along with prurience and prudery, there’s outright oddness, too.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2014
But all this prudery extends no further than outward forms, and it would be a grand mistake to suppose that there is more morality in Russia than elsewhere.
From Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. by Hell, Xavier Hommaire de
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.
