Synonym Usage
See modest.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prudish
Explanation
To be prudish is to be extremely proper, almost a little too proper. To be called prudish isn't a compliment. To be proper is to be polite and have good manners. To be prudish is to take being proper to an exaggerated or ridiculous degree. For example, it's definitely a bad idea to use a naughty word in class, but a friend who scolds you when you use it privately could be considered prudish. They're going a little too far. Prudish behavior is also called priggish, prim, prissy, puritanical, and straight-laced. Others usually think prudish people should lighten up.
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.
Prudish viewers need not apply here, and even if you think that description doesn’t apply to you, the series premiere is designed to test that theory.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2019
Prudish Susan was so overcome by the "beautiful luxury of grief" in telling this hideous tale that she burst into tears.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of this kind is a Prudish Character, or excessively reserv'd.
From A Full Enquiry into the Nature of the Pastoral (1717) by Purney, Thomas
Prudish women have to be laughed at, and despotic kings, and parasite lords and bishops.
From Thackeray by Trollope, Anthony
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.
