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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prim
There were enveloping officer’s overcoats, high-gloss leather jackets, prim gowns affixed with fur accents and stark black suits.
—
Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Last year may have given us Brat Summer, but things are moving in a decidedly prim direction for 2025.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 10 Jan. 2025
If 2023 was dominated by the ladylike Margaux bag and the prim-and-proper dressing mood that followed in its wake, then 2024 belongs to the efficient, yet extremely elegant N/S Park tote.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
This winter, turn to Cos’s leopard-print faux fur, Loulou Studio’s sleek leather midi, and Balenciaga’s cult-classic Rodeo bag for a downtown twist on the prim and proper dressing mood.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prim
Jacob Gallagher, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Last year may have given us Brat Summer, but things are moving in a decidedly prim direction for 2025.
—Elle Turner, Glamour, 10 Jan. 2025
If 2023 was dominated by the ladylike Margaux bag and the prim-and-proper dressing mood that followed in its wake, then 2024 belongs to the efficient, yet extremely elegant N/S Park tote.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
This winter, turn to Cos’s leopard-print faux fur, Loulou Studio’s sleek leather midi, and Balenciaga’s cult-classic Rodeo bag for a downtown twist on the prim and proper dressing mood.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prim
Adjective
-
What’s something about the culture or food that still resists translation — something that doesn’t quite fit into a tidy tour explanation?—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Initially, the job seems straightforward — embalming bodies, completing paperwork, and keeping things tidy.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In the story, a Victorian husband attempts to drive his heiress wife insane by subtly rearranging reality, most notably by dimming their house’s gas lighting.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2025
-
The London sewers were originally constructed during the Victorian era, when the capital city held just around four million people.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
Georgina Rodríguez Georgina Rodríguez flaunts a little leg out of her black dress with lace trim.—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
6 May 2025
-
The bar, Red Ribbon Society, presents interesting cocktails crafted from kitchen trim, foraged ingredients, and local spirits.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
His subject, Nandy told me, exhibited all the traits of an authoritarian personality: puritanical rigidity, a constricted emotional life, fear of his own passions, and an enormous ego that protected a gnawing insecurity.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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While the #MeToo movement toppled scores of powerful men in Hollywood, in France it was viewed suspiciously by some as a puritanical American import that was tainting an essential part of France’s intellectual and cultural identity.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Pichai, 52, addressed the court from the witness box wearing a neat, dark suit during the second week of the remedies trial that will determine which penalties U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta will levy against the nearly $2 trillion company.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2025
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Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel sits imposingly on a corner in the city center, bright white with neat black shutters.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That means that with cooperation and capable decision making, orderly big progress to greatly reduce these unsustainable imbalances can be made.—
Ray Dalio,
Time,
9 May 2025
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In engineering terms, this may cause a transition from linear responses (smooth, orderly, predictable) to nonlinear responses (violent and unpredictable) which cause major changes in system behavior.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prim. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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