nice-nelly 1 of 2

nice nelly

2 of 2

noun

as in puritan
a person who is greatly concerned with seemly behavior and morality especially regarding sexual matters some nice nelly bowdlerized this collection of wartime ditties that were lustily sung by the men around the campfire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nice-nelly
Adjective
  • Small and observant, Mars lived with her parents and extended kin in a Victorian house with a library and a piano, around which the family gathered to sing show tunes.
    Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Students will learn how to fold Victorian puzzle books, fill them with California native leaves and flowers and immerse the piece in natural dye.
    Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Centuries after being burned at the stake, a witch named Jennifer (Veronica Lake) magically reappears and tries to torment the descendant of the puritan who led the charge against her — only to fall in love with him.
    Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
  • Naysayers and scene puritans are too late to tear down Turnstile; the Baltimore band heard it all before its third album even dropped anyway.
    Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • In voiceover, Ai fondly recalls her own uncles and aunts sneaking out to clubs at night, partying all weekend, clashing with their elders and the more puritanical past generations stunned by the appropriation of sexier dress, style, and musical verve.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
  • In this version, religious zealots—some imported, and some homegrown—are trying to impose a puritanical form of religious law on society.
    Daniel Corstange, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2016

Thesaurus Entries Near nice-nelly

Cite this Entry

“Nice-nelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nice-nelly. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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