as in overmodest
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for governessy
Adjective
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Statistics like these have become part of a discussion about whether the culture is growing prudish and puritanical.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026 -
My favorite stereotype is the one where Germans think Americans are prudish.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Boarding school has been making Muck boys into ugly, priggish little men for generations.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Watts was polished and prim, outfitted in a strapless drop-waist top, which draped artistically over her matching cigarette trousers.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
9 Mar. 2026
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Chief among them is the late and especially great Dame Maggie Smith, who gave one of her most powerful and enduring performances as the prim and wise Violet Crawley.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His texts and puppy-dog grins could be flirtatious or innocent.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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One woman who responded to the post later told investigators Snow handcuffed her and raped her at gunpoint at his Verona home in 2020, after the two had exchanged flirtatious text messages.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Governessy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governessy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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