preppy

noun prep·py \ ˈpre-pē \

variants: or preppie

Definition of preppy

plural preppies

1 :a student at or a graduate of a preparatory school

2 :a person deemed to dress or behave like a preppy

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Origin and Etymology of preppy

¹prep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1928

See Words from the same year

preppy

adjective

variants: or preppie

Definition of preppy

1 :relating to, characteristic of, or being a preppy

2 :relating to or being a style of dress characterized especially by classic clothing and neat appearance

—

preppily

play \ˈpre-pə-lē\ adverb

—

preppiness

play \ˈpre-pē-nəs\ noun

Recent Examples of preppy from the Web

By the 1970s and well into the later part of the '90s, the polo became the cornerstone of preppy chic.

— jared michael lowe, Teen Vogue, "How Polo Shirts Became a White Supremacist Uniform," 29 Aug. 2017
The collection puts a modern spin on preppy tennis style with colorful cable knits, skorts, dresses, footwear, and lots of headbands.

— katie van syckle, The Cut, "Pharrell Williams Releases a Tennis Collection With Adidas Just in Time for the U.S. Open," 27 Aug. 2017
The title character, preppy 20-something Tom Webb (Callum Turner, a doppelgänger for the young Richard Gere), feels ever so lonely.

— colin covert, kansascity, "‘Only Living Boy in New York’ lacks life," 23 Aug. 2017
Hate couture: Polo shirts and khaki pants, a look long associated with preppy get-togethers and teenage job interviews, now has a darker image as the uniform of choice for white supremacists marching through Charlottesville earlier this month.

— jeremy pelzer, cleveland.com, "John Kasich to unveil his plan to fix Obamacare: Ohio Politics Roundup," 23 Aug. 2017
From XXL buckles to colorful fabrics and leathers that put preppy ribbon styles to shame, there's a lot of personality packed into these babies.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "Cure Summer Style Boredom With These 10 Bold Belts," 22 July 2017
The pattern has grown beyond its preppy reputation and manifested itself into wrap dresses, '90s-style bib-neck minis, and sharp pencil skirts—though, the easy, breezy, and quintessentially vibe remains a constant.

— ana colon, Glamour, "All the Gingham Dresses to Buy While You Still Have Summer Weekends," 21 July 2017
The sun room was a vision of the classic pink and green preppy combo in decor and desserts -- cookies by Joan Farrell-Mathis, macaroon trees by Sucre, Lil Bitz cake balls, and other assorted sweets from ETC!

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Virginia Dodenhoff, Ellie Grehan and Julia Grehan celebrated at '80s preppy style soiree," 19 July 2017
Versace took a youthful turn this season too, reappropriating their classic '90s silk shirts and jackets, alongside baby pink color block combos and preppy jumpers.

— clive martin, CNN, "Men's Fashion Week: Designers step into a strange new world," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preppy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of preppy

1900

PREPPY Defined for English Language Learners

preppy

noun

Definition of preppy for English Language Learners

: someone who dresses or acts like a student at a prep school (such as by wearing neat, somewhat formal clothing or by using particular words and phrases)

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