as in puritan
disapproving
someone who annoys people by being very careful about proper behavior and by criticizing the behavior of other people
She is too much of a prig for my liking.
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Recent Examples of prig
Noel Coward’s once-scandalous comedy of prigs amid the petit fours gets a deliciously tart revival at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company, crisply directed by former artistic director Tom Ross.
—
Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Even girls, against the advice of monks and prigs, were taught to read and write.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, Darth Vader, $10.39 (prig.
—Rachel Simon, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The 21st century has been a boon to young abstainers who reject the word alcoholic, and to anyone who wants to quit drinking without becoming a sad sack or a prig.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
Yet, sadly, this kind of glorious sandwich has become a very rare thing in America, and one need not be a New York prig to contend that outside of New York, good Jewish deli—which is a tautology—is nearly impossible to find, with the exception of one or two places in Los Angeles.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021
In keeping with the prevailing public narrative, Charles is presented as a heartless prig, virtually a cartoon villain.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021
Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Even girls, against the advice of monks and prigs, were taught to read and write.
—Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, Darth Vader, $10.39 (prig.
—Rachel Simon, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The 21st century has been a boon to young abstainers who reject the word alcoholic, and to anyone who wants to quit drinking without becoming a sad sack or a prig.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
Yet, sadly, this kind of glorious sandwich has become a very rare thing in America, and one need not be a New York prig to contend that outside of New York, good Jewish deli—which is a tautology—is nearly impossible to find, with the exception of one or two places in Los Angeles.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021
In keeping with the prevailing public narrative, Charles is presented as a heartless prig, virtually a cartoon villain.
—BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prig
puritan
Noun
-
However, rather than blithely dismiss the consequences of legalization with eye-rolling contempt for the puritans, supporters should confront the adverse societal effects of cannabis — the pervasive urban stench, the traffic deaths and the pernicious effects on youth.—
Cory Franklin,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
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Austere antiquity is in constant conflict with more sensual, modern impulses — a tension that feels productive applied to a story of the Shakers, puritans whom time has proven too pure for this world.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prig. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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