PRIGGISH Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

priggish

adjective

Definition of priggish

as in staid

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of priggish 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for priggish

Adjective

In the stadium, the individual performances felt underwhelming, and the mood in the crowd was relatively staid.

— Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 July 2026
Our signature line wasn't built by chasing trends—it was built by identifying a segment of a staid industry that no one had done before, so that every launch genuinely advances our position.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of staid

Adjective

Cross-dressing was prohibited, as were speeches that mocked or questioned the party’s prudish, pro-family, heteronormative views on gender and sexuality; traditional German culture was to be celebrated, not mocked.

— Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
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

Definition of prudish

Adjective

She’s been attacked, her puritanical sister has landed from America, and murder is starting to feel less like a paranoid theory than a reasonable working assumption.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 22 June 2026
Perhaps because of its puritanical roots, any place that serves alcohol in Boston also has to have a full menu—so there aren’t straight-up bars here or anywhere else.

— Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026

Definition of puritanical

Adjective

Maki is spunky and more tomboy-ish, while Omura is the more straightlaced and serious of the two.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 7 July 2026
Six decades after the fact, even a straitlaced researcher such as myself can still wonder about a thing or two—an ex-CIA guy here, a Cuban paramilitary group there.

— Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026

Definition of straitlaced

Adjective

Over a period of two decades—in the prim ’50s and the looser ’60s—every stylish film in Hollywood seemed to star Audrey Hepburn.

— Radhika Seth, Vogue, 24 July 2026
The best restaurant sauces can tempt even the most prim and proper of us to lift up our plates and lick them clean.

— Rochelle Bilow, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 July 2026

Definition of prim

Browse Nearby Words

priggery

priggish

priggishly

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Priggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priggish. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of priggish

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inveigle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes