governessy

adjective

Definition of governessynext
as in overmodest

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for governessy
  1. prudish
  2. priggish
  3. prim
  4. flirtatious
Adjective
  • Leigh and Olivier, both still married to other people, had to keep their affair under wraps in prudish America.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But rather than interrogate this evil premise, the movie instead feels quite prudish.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of prudish
Adjective
  • Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
  • Ghaywan’s script is explicit but never priggish in its moral standing, letting the outstanding performances drive home the perils of bigotry more than any grandstanding dialogue.
    — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2025
Definition of priggish
Adjective
  • As Mona loses herself in her character, a building superintendent named Miss Danielle, her wardrobe, courtesy of costume designer Stacey Battat, goes from prim cardigans to ripped jeans to an actual coverall she’s stolen from a janitor.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Add heeled ballerinas, keep the rest of your outfit relatively unfussy, and let the contrast between prim and polished do the hard work.
    — Georgia Brown, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of prim
Adjective
  • Donovan portrayed the flirtatious Ginger LaMonica on season 6 of the primetime teen soap.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Hernández serves as the production’s general director and plays La Lota, the zarzuela’s flirtatious heroine.
    — Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of flirtatious
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

governesses
governessy
governing
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Cite this Entry

“Governessy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governessy. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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