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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
  • Hernández serves as the production’s general director and plays La Lota, the zarzuela’s flirtatious heroine.
    — Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
  • As a talk-show host and media personality, her sometimes petulant, relentlessly flirtatious energy was a thrilling throwback to the likes of Rosie O’Donnell or Alan Carr’s chat shows.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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