Meanings
comparative more prudish · superlative most prudish
- Of excessive propriety; easily offended or shocked, especially by sexual matters.
Near-synonyms: prim, priggish, prissy; straight-laced; puritanical
1 more example
Young people who are close to writing off the Democratic Party as a dinosaur, as a gerontocracy of prudish abuelos who gave birth by immaculate conception, may be in for a pleasant surprise.
2017 April 3, Dr A W Niloc, “Resistance Songs for Day 75 - Sex Appeal”, in Daily KosSynonyms: prim, priggish, prissy, straight-laced, puritanical
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf excessive propriety; easily offended or shocked, especially by sexual matters.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexaggeratedly proper
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek βαυκός
- βαυκός (baukós)exaggeratedly proper
Bulgarian превзет, фалшиво скромен
- превзет (prevzet)exaggeratedly proper
- фалшиво скромен (falšivo skromen)exaggeratedly proper
Chinese Mandarin 过分拘谨的
- 过分拘谨的exaggeratedly proper
Czech prudérní, upjatý
- prudérníexaggeratedly proper
- upjatýexaggeratedly proper
- škrobenýexaggeratedly proper
Danish sippet, snerpet
- sippetexaggeratedly proper
- snerpetexaggeratedly proper
Dutch preuts
- preutsexaggeratedly proper
Esperanto pruda
- prudaexaggeratedly proper
Finnish sievistelevä, kainosteleva
- sievisteleväexaggeratedly proper
- kainostelevaexaggeratedly proper
- tekosiveäexaggeratedly proper
French prude, pudibond
- prudeexaggeratedly proper
- pudibondexaggeratedly proper
German prüde
- prüdeexaggeratedly proper
Greek σεμνότυφος
- σεμνότυφος (semnótyfos)exaggeratedly proper
Hungarian prűd
- prűdexaggeratedly proper
Italian pudico
- pudicoexaggeratedly proper
Norwegian prippen, snerpete
- prippenexaggeratedly proper
- snerpeteexaggeratedly proper
- fisefinexaggeratedly proper
Polish pruderyjny
- pruderyjnyexaggeratedly proper
Portuguese pudico
- pudicoexaggeratedly proper
Romanian pudibond
- pudibondexaggeratedly proper
Russian жема́нный, стыдли́вый
- жема́нный (žemánnyj)exaggeratedly proper
- стыдли́вый (stydlívyj)exaggeratedly proper
Spanish pudibundo, santurrón
- pudibundoexaggeratedly proper
- santurrónexaggeratedly proper
- mojigatoexaggeratedly proper
- pacatoexaggeratedly proper
- timoratoexaggeratedly proper
- cartuchónexaggeratedly proper
- gazmoñoexaggeratedly proper
- gazmoñeroexaggeratedly proper
- pudorosoexaggeratedly proper
Swedish pryd
- prydexaggeratedly proper
Turkish iffetfüruş, namus düşkünü
- iffetfüruşexaggeratedly proper
- namus düşkünüexaggeratedly proper
- namus kumkumasıexaggeratedly proper
Cite this entry
prudish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prudish
“prudish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prudish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prudish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prudish.
Source: prudish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.