1
archaic
: fop
3
: one who offends or irritates by observance of proprieties (as of speech or manners) in a pointed manner or to an obnoxious degree
prig·gish·ness
plural -es
1
: the quality or state of being priggish
2
: a priggish act or piece of conduct
Examples of prig in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Noel Coward’s once-scandalous comedy of prigs amid the petit fours gets a deliciously tart revival at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company, crisply directed by former artistic director Tom Ross.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Even girls, against the advice of monks and prigs, were taught to read and write.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, Darth Vader, $10.39 (prig.
—Rachel Simon, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The 21st century has been a boon to young abstainers who reject the word alcoholic, and to anyone who wants to quit drinking without becoming a sad sack or a prig.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
Yet, sadly, this kind of glorious sandwich has become a very rare thing in America, and one need not be a New York prig to contend that outside of New York, good Jewish deli—which is a tautology—is nearly impossible to find, with the exception of one or two places in Los Angeles.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021
In keeping with the prevailing public narrative, Charles is presented as a heartless prig, virtually a cartoon villain.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021
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Noun
Compared to the spontaneous, high-spirited, and witty heroines of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, Fanny Price is a prig.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Noel Coward’s once-scandalous comedy of prigs amid the petit fours gets a deliciously tart revival at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company, crisply directed by former artistic director Tom Ross.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Even girls, against the advice of monks and prigs, were taught to read and write.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, Darth Vader, $10.39 (prig.
—Rachel Simon, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The 21st century has been a boon to young abstainers who reject the word alcoholic, and to anyone who wants to quit drinking without becoming a sad sack or a prig.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
Yet, sadly, this kind of glorious sandwich has become a very rare thing in America, and one need not be a New York prig to contend that outside of New York, good Jewish deli—which is a tautology—is nearly impossible to find, with the exception of one or two places in Los Angeles.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021
In keeping with the prevailing public narrative, Charles is presented as a heartless prig, virtually a cartoon villain.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Prig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prig. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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