prude

noun
\ ˈprüd How to pronounce prude (audio) \

Definition of prude

: a person who is excessively or priggishly attentive to propriety or decorum especially : a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for prude

Synonyms

bluenose, moralist, Mrs. Grundy, nice nelly, puritan, wowser [chiefly Australian]

Antonyms

immoralist

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of prude in a Sentence

He is too much of a prude to enjoy movies containing sex and violence. the racy sitcom frequently satirizes exactly the sort of prude who would like to see the show taken off the air

Recent Examples on the Web

Schneiderman, like Ghomeshi and Deen before him, attempted to deflect the blame off of himself and onto kink — implicitly accusing anyone who would judge his actions of being a small-minded prude. Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Eric Schneiderman and Men Who Excuse Violence As ‘Kink’," 8 May 2018 Nicks protested, calling herself prude and saying her family wouldn't approve of the image. Travis M. Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Lindsey Buckingham, formerly of Fleetwood Mac: Rock's biggest jerk or misunderstood genius?," 11 Apr. 2018 One issue was that he was raised as a bit of a prude and was always dead silent during the act. Mallory Ortberg, Slate Magazine, "Prudie counsels a woman whose husband once refused to talk dirty but now won’t shut up.," 16 May 2017 But Trump went back and forth this way for months, a joker shrugging off prudes who didn’t get it. Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, "How Jokes Won the Election," 23 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of prude

1704, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for prude

French, good woman, prudish woman, short for prudefemme good woman, from Old French prode femme

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for prude

prude

noun

English Language Learners Definition of prude

disapproving : a person who is easily shocked or offended by things that do not shock or offend other people

prude

noun
\ ˈprüd How to pronounce prude (audio) \

Kids Definition of prude

: a person who cares too much about proper speech and conduct

Other Words from prude

prudish \ -​ish \ adjective

Keep scrolling for more