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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prissy
Despite its heavy premise, the movie also has absurdities, among them Conan O’Brien as a judgmental, prissy therapist.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
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
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prissy
Adjective
-
Attendees said D’Amaro came across as charming and he and Walden, who joined halfway through, had a nice rapport, with both looking happy and excited.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Elizondo, who had a nice game all around, led the Eagles with 13 points including 2 threes.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The truth is, managing a game and operating within a system of offense are two of the most important things about excelling at the most demanding position in professional sports.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Turns out, von Allmen had the better inside track on the demanding hill.—
Pat Graham,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Bring in Other Scents Scent can be introduced in a variety of ways, from candles and diffusers to delicate room sprays.—
Kate Donovan,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Young boys cleaned test tubes, brawny machinists built gauges and mills, and scales delicate enough to weigh an inch of a spider's web.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That ability, once reserved for living nervous systems, could reshape how robots interact with the physical world and with humans in particular.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Trump has clashed in particular Bad Bunny, one of the most popular musicians in the world, who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.—
Seth Jacobson,
The Providence Journal,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But turning this moment into lasting advantage will require careful planning, not just short-term opportunism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Last year’s boxing boot trend set the stage for a more prim and polished throwback in 2026.—
Shelby Ying Hyde,
Refinery29,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Her character, a prim lawyer with a perfect ponytail named Kim Wexler, was initially meant to provide Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy, a character spun off from Breaking Bad, with someone to confide in.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The game's flight model is incredibly complicated, with a focus on realistic modeling and some notoriously finicky landing mechanics.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Thus the coffee gods created a world of more discerning (some might say finicky) coffee connoisseurs, one where people now pay $5, $6 and more for a cup of liquid get-up-and-go.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The film received strong critical acclaim upon its release, holding a 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Some 25 million people viewed the spot, by the way, but only 15 commented on it, and most were critical.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prissy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prissy. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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