prim and proper

ADJECTIVE

bluenosed

Synonyms

WEAK

Victorian priggish prim prissy proper prudish puritanical strait-laced

ADJECTIVE

old-maidish

Synonyms

STRONGEST

careful fastidious finical finicking finicky fussbudgety fussy particular precious precise prim

STRONG

choosy critical dainty nice overparticular overscrupulous persnickety picky punctilious scrupulous

WEAK

caviling fault-finding hypercritical prissy proper prudish respectable strait-laced well-mannered

Antonyms

STRONGEST

careless easygoing flexible lackadaisical undemanding unfussy

STRONG

lax lenient permissive uncritical

WEAK

imprudent

ADJECTIVE

prissy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

prudish squeamish

WEAK

Victorian epicene fastidious finicky genteel goody-goody goody-two-shoes overnice pansified persnickety picky precious prim puritanical sissified sissy stickling strait-laced stuffy tight-laced

Antonyms

WEAK

informal unconcerned

ADJECTIVE

stuffy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arrogant dreary genteel humorless musty pompous self-important staid stodgy

WEAK

Victorian bloated conventional dull fusty important magisterial narrow-minded priggish prissy prudish puffy puritanical stilted strait-laced uninteresting

Antonyms

STRONGEST

adventurous clear willing

WEAK

airy breezy current informal modern new open ventilated

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Early in her career, Swift had a reputation for being prim and proper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

Not only are viewers watching boldface names eat, they’re also watching them eat foods that are considered distasteful — which goes against the prim and proper image that celebrities are expected to uphold.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2024

"It's not this prim and proper stadium as it would be in Wembley or London. It is what we are as a community and what Luton is."

From BBC • May 16, 2023

We first had drinks in a very prim and proper members’ bar.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2021

This girl was very pretty, sure, but she was also prim and proper and preppy.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

prim and proper

Example Sentences

Related Words