prudish

adjective

prud·ish | \ˈprü-dish

\

Definition of prudish

: marked by prudery : priggish

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Examples of prudish in a Sentence

by the prudish standards of the 19th century, any depiction of the nude was scandalous

Recent Examples on the Web

Kennedy took it upon himself to be the Great Liberator, removing the shackles from a prudish and — in his view — unjust society. — Christine M. Flowers, Philly.com, "Justice Anthony Kennedy was 'Catholic conservatives' worst nightmare' on the Supreme Court | Christine Flowers," 28 June 2018 One result of Mr Xi’s efforts to tighten the party’s control over the media has been that public discussion of prostitution has become even more prudish. — The Economist, "In China, sex work is being pushed back into the shadows," 5 July 2018 The New York Times is famously prudish, preferring whenever possible to use euphemisms. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Marco Rubio doesn’t like it when people report other people using the F-bomb.," 29 June 2018 Where Sjöwall and Wahlöö succeeded in deromanticizing crime and criminals, in his mission to condemn violence against women, Larsson has ended up lionizing its perpetrators by exaggerating the same old prudish tropes. — Alice Bolin, Longreads, "The Daughter as Detective," 26 June 2018 The main character, prudish Judge Aristide (Michael Doheny), wants to shut down the can-can show but becomes enthralled with La Mome Pistache (Angie Fennell). — Hugh Hunter, Philly.com, "'Can-Can' at Broadway Pitman: Energetic, with great song and dance, but dated," 30 Apr. 2018 Since finding fame on the show, Mr Zhou had shown no inclination to upset prudish censors by returning to his gangsta-rapper roots. — The Economist, "Rappers’ knuckles rappedWhy hip-hop scares the Chinese Communist Party," 25 Jan. 2018 The champion of the optimistic and the moderate, the prudish Howells briefly read law in the office of the Radical Republican Benjamin Wade, an abolitionist, and then composed a campaign biography for Abraham Lincoln. — Brenda Wineapple, New Republic, "Grand Illusions," 21 Dec. 2017 The very fact that Underwood had to hide his monstrosity now seems quaint, even prudish – a comforting wish fulfillment if ever there was one. — Patrick Blanchfield, New Republic, "Trump is President, but Kevin Spacey Can’t Even Play One on TV," 2 Nov. 2017

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

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Dictionary Entries near prudish

prudent investment

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Time Traveler for prudish

The first known use of prudish was in 1717

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