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
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
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
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
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
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
Bows may seem prissy, but there's actually surprisingly versatile.
—Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 9 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prissy
Adjective
-
Located in historic downtown Gainesville, the Victorian complex is a nice breather before and after the intensity of game day in Gainesville, and the drive to the stadium is less than 10 minutes.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Napheesa will probably sit this one out, but Bryce still has time to send his commish a nice greeting card.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The players are afforded down time, however, and this first week will be nowhere near as demanding as an in-season training week.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
This division of labor reportedly reduces one of the most physically demanding aspects of solar farm construction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This delicate stocking reminds us of the ones from our grandparents that were hand stitched with love every year.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
-
As for glam and accessories, Jackson favored delicate rings, bracelet and dangle earrings in warm tones to augment her red dress.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Starting pitching, in particular, figures to be a priority.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
By buying programmatically, advertisers can snatch up inventory likely to reach a particular type of consumer under more specific conditions than possible in linear TV.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
These treatments require careful and ongoing monitoring.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The question is whether his oldest friendships, with both the prim Serge and the anxious people pleaser Yvan (Corden), will survive the wrath provoked by the great white rectangle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Sep. 2025
-
However, the stakes have ever been only so high in this prim, proper and altogether charming world, so why change that now?—
Mark Meszoros,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Kirundo 3-Piece Lounge Set Layers are the secret to surviving the South’s finicky fall season.—
Gabriela Izquierdo,
Southern Living,
30 Sep. 2025
-
For decades, the vacuum was thought of as merely a finicky factor to be implemented as well as possible.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But during a critical game early in the season, that’s exactly what took place.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Others took note of Jones on that play, and many were critical of the Chiefs star.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prissy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prissy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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