prissy

adjective

pris·​sy ˈpri-sē How to pronounce prissy (audio)
prissier; prissiest
: overly prim and precise : finicky
prissily adverb
prissiness noun

Examples of prissy in a Sentence

She was too prissy to wear jeans.
Recent Examples on the Web Albee's 1962 play won a Tony Award, and would have also won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, if the prissy trustees of Columbia University hadn't overruled the jury. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2023 Some of that’s changing times, some of that is because a not-insignificant portion of W.A.S.P. fans are prissy suburbanites themselves. Andy O'Connor, SPIN, 13 Jan. 2023 It’s a corny, sporty early-’90s rom-com about a hockey bruiser and a prissy figure skater who team up against the odds to compete in Olympic pairs skating. Vulture, 7 Feb. 2022 McGregor speaks with a prissy American accent that in its own way is as expressive as Ray’s trumpet playing. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Oct. 2022 The former embodies Professor Dovey, a prissy headmistress in Tweety Bird-yellow threads, who’s always going on about the rules, while Theron’s evil-minded Lady Lesso takes her fashion cues from Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022 Sharon Sanders: — and perfume and being prissy (laughs). CBS News, 21 May 2022 After her father’s death, Delilah Green grew up in the company of her frosty stepmother, Isabel, and prissy stepsister, Astrid—so as soon as high school was over, Delilah left town and never looked back. Keely Weiss, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Feb. 2022 Bows may seem prissy, but there's actually surprisingly versatile. Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 9 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prissy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably blend of prim and sissy

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prissy was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near prissy

Cite this Entry

“Prissy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prissy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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