prude

noun

\ ˈprüd

Definition of prude

: a person who is excessively or priggishly attentive to propriety or decorum especially : a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about prude

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Synonyms & Antonyms for prude

Synonyms

bluenose,
moralist,
Mrs. Grundy,
nice nelly,
puritan,
wowser
[chiefly Australian]

Antonyms

immoralist

Examples of prude in a Sentence

He is too much of a prude to enjoy movies containing sex and violence. the racy sitcom frequently satirizes exactly the sort of prude who would like to see the show taken off the air

Recent Examples on the Web The collection of essays on major figures in the British 19th century challenged the prevailing view of the Victorians as incurious moral prudes. ... — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Gertrude Himmelfarb," 1 Jan. 2020 One needn't be a prude to note that reaching 100 million viewers carries with it certain responsibilities, starting with the fact that there are going to be a lot of people seeing your ad who might not under normal circumstances. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "Super Bowl commercials: The dos and don'ts of successful ads," 2 Feb. 2020 Opponents will be called prudes, scolds, and deplorables. — John Hirschauer, National Review, "No, Polygamy Is Not a ‘Right’," 29 Oct. 2019 Schneiderman, like Ghomeshi and Deen before him, attempted to deflect the blame off of himself and onto kink — implicitly accusing anyone who would judge his actions of being a small-minded prude. — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Eric Schneiderman and Men Who Excuse Violence As ‘Kink’," 8 May 2018 Nicks protested, calling herself prude and saying her family wouldn't approve of the image. — Travis M. Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Lindsey Buckingham, formerly of Fleetwood Mac: Rock's biggest jerk or misunderstood genius?," 11 Apr. 2018 One issue was that he was raised as a bit of a prude and was always dead silent during the act. — Mallory Ortberg, Slate Magazine, "Prudie counsels a woman whose husband once refused to talk dirty but now won’t shut up.," 16 May 2017 But Trump went back and forth this way for months, a joker shrugging off prudes who didn’t get it. — Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, "How Jokes Won the Election," 23 Jan. 2017

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