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.
The display eclipsed the return of garden gnomes to an event so prudish that the lawn ornaments have been allowed just once before in its 113-year history, and only then because it was for charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
After her appointment by Rishi Sunak's government, Baroness Bertin made it clear she would not be approaching the topic from a prudish or disapproving position.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2025
“How prudent some people are here,” one user quipped, perhaps meaning to say prudish instead of prudent.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023
Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, said, “People might regard Singapore laws as being somewhat prudish, that these people should be free to express themselves.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2023
I’ll tell you how we handled this problem; you may find it unseemly of me to bring it up, but I’m not so prudish about matters of this kind.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
