Synonyms of prim

prim

adjective

ˈprim 

1

as in tidy

being clean and in good order

behind the bed-and-breakfast is a prim little garden where guests are served afternoon tea

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tidy
• trim
• neat
• tidied
• orderly
• kempt
• shipshape
• smug
• groomed
• antiseptic
• uncluttered
• crisp
• picked up
• snug
• well-groomed
• trig
• immaculate
• dapper
• saucy
• spiffy
• natty
• sleek
• organized
• bandbox
• taut
• spotless
• spruce
• rakish
• streamlined
• spick-and-span
• smart
• systematic
• straight

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slovenly
• messy
• shabby
• unkempt
• disheveled
• untidy
• disorderly
• disordered
• sloppy
• scruffy
• dirty
• seedy
• filthy
• slipshod
• sordid
• mussy
• squalid
• sloven
• nasty
• foul
• mussed
• rumpled
• dowdy
• disorganized
• frowsy
• tumbled
• unsystematic
• tousled

2

as in Victorian

given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals

a very prim and proper matron was in charge of the girls' dorm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• Victorian
• puritanical
• prudish
• straitlaced
• proper
• moral
• decent
• priggish
• refined
• honest
• nice-nelly
• bluenosed
• staid
• stuffy
• upright
• genteel
• virtuous
• righteous
• right

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• permissive
• improper
• loose
• liberated
• lax
• bad
• wicked
• indecent
• immoral
• lecherous
• prurient
• sleazy
• lickerish
• perverted
• slatternly
• degenerate
• depraved
• skanky
• slutty
• degraded
• debauched
• trampy
• sluttish

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prim

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

The vibe of every room is prim and professional, with clean lines and neutral tones, creating spaces that would feel appropriate as the backdrop of a last-minute work Zoom, but not too rigid for the kick-off of a leisure trip. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026

And then there’s the prim and unfriendly Stagg, who doesn’t play well with others, who insists on having the office to himself, and who refuses to let the affable Krick be a part of his reports to Ike and the rest of the generals. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 May 2026