as in nice
informal + disapproving
having or showing the annoying attitude of people who care too much about dressing and behaving properly and who are easily upset by other people's behavior, language, etc.
She was too prissy to wear jeans. a prissy do-gooder
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Recent Examples of prissy
Albee's 1962 play won a Tony Award, and would have also won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, if the prissy trustees of Columbia University hadn't overruled the jury.
—
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2023
Some of that’s changing times, some of that is because a not-insignificant portion of W.A.S.P. fans are prissy suburbanites themselves.
—Andy O'Connor, SPIN, 13 Jan. 2023
It’s a corny, sporty early-’90s rom-com about a hockey bruiser and a prissy figure skater who team up against the odds to compete in Olympic pairs skating.
—Vulture, 7 Feb. 2022
McGregor speaks with a prissy American accent that in its own way is as expressive as Ray’s trumpet playing.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Oct. 2022
The former embodies Professor Dovey, a prissy headmistress in Tweety Bird-yellow threads, who’s always going on about the rules, while Theron’s evil-minded Lady Lesso takes her fashion cues from Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022
Sharon Sanders: — and perfume and being prissy (laughs).
—CBS News, 21 May 2022
After her father’s death, Delilah Green grew up in the company of her frosty stepmother, Isabel, and prissy stepsister, Astrid—so as soon as high school was over, Delilah left town and never looked back.
—Keely Weiss, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Feb. 2022
Bows may seem prissy, but there's actually surprisingly versatile.
—Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 9 Dec. 2021
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2023
Some of that’s changing times, some of that is because a not-insignificant portion of W.A.S.P. fans are prissy suburbanites themselves.
—Andy O'Connor, SPIN, 13 Jan. 2023
It’s a corny, sporty early-’90s rom-com about a hockey bruiser and a prissy figure skater who team up against the odds to compete in Olympic pairs skating.
—Vulture, 7 Feb. 2022
McGregor speaks with a prissy American accent that in its own way is as expressive as Ray’s trumpet playing.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Oct. 2022
The former embodies Professor Dovey, a prissy headmistress in Tweety Bird-yellow threads, who’s always going on about the rules, while Theron’s evil-minded Lady Lesso takes her fashion cues from Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022
Sharon Sanders: — and perfume and being prissy (laughs).
—CBS News, 21 May 2022
After her father’s death, Delilah Green grew up in the company of her frosty stepmother, Isabel, and prissy stepsister, Astrid—so as soon as high school was over, Delilah left town and never looked back.
—Keely Weiss, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Feb. 2022
Bows may seem prissy, but there's actually surprisingly versatile.
—Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 9 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prissy
Adjective
-
Both Trejo and Crowley rode in the 2025 Centennial Tucson Rodeo, a nice mirroring of the agency’s own 100-year history.—
Suzanne Wright,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The extra dose of corn flour brought a nice sweetness, and the new recipe stuck.—
Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Baldwin has done it while playing the most difficult and demanding position on the diamond, mentally in terms of daily meetings and film study, and physically from the toll of working beneath pads in the summer heat and getting nicked up from foul tips, collisions and occasional wayward swings.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
-
This has come as a result of America being too demanding and being very political.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Her entire front body is exposed and her natural breasts are round, perky; her pink areolas, small; her pink nipples, delicate, conical.—
Weike Wang,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
-
While the Great Lakes may seem to offer an endless supply of water, the balance is actually quite delicate.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Smart jewelry, in particular, has often prioritized surface-level features—mirroring phones, flashing lights—without addressing what relationships actually need: space to feel, respond, and grow.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
-
With its tennis court, pool, and rolling grounds, Anmer Hall remains a deeply personal sanctuary—one where Kate, in particular, has found comfort during her ongoing cancer treatment.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But the movie is careful to concentrate just as much on his art and all the complications that entailed.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Gearbox has always been careful to say that Borderlands is not going live service for 4 here, despite that being a pretty common trend to chase.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Men were letting their hair grow past their shoulders, women were tying theirs in bandannas, and amid the weed and the cobblestones, the prim full skirts of the 1950s were laughably old hat.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
9 Aug. 2025
-
Ballet flats and a straw tote add a prim touch for a balanced finish.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
But the bag setup was too finicky, which ultimately bumped it from the top spot.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 July 2025
-
The Evans farm shares all the same problems with traditional farms: finicky weather, labor shortages, rising costs, expensive supplies.—
Kylie Williams,
Miami Herald,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
These countries act as more than just mere final destinations for shark meat consumption, operating as critical hubs that receive products from around the world, process them, and send them onward to other markets.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
-
Sitting 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot with a 64-66 record, the Rangers have floundered at a critical time, losing their past four series while on a 3-11 skid coming into Friday’s game.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prissy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prissy. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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