as in puritanical
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals
by the prudish standards of the 19th century, any depiction of the nude was scandalous
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Recent Examples of prudish
Jet did not feel the need to present a prudish image of Black people to counteract white stereotypes about their hypersexuality.
—
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 25 June 2024
For a long time, serious literary novels have held off on the question of how to handle menopause with the prudish disgust of a teenager.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 21 June 2024
Informed by the Hayes Code, Hollywood ‘50s genre was often prudish in its sexuality.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 21 May 2024
There will be political points scored off of prudish hypocrisy and modern-day social rot.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prudish
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 25 June 2024
For a long time, serious literary novels have held off on the question of how to handle menopause with the prudish disgust of a teenager.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 21 June 2024
Informed by the Hayes Code, Hollywood ‘50s genre was often prudish in its sexuality.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 21 May 2024
There will be political points scored off of prudish hypocrisy and modern-day social rot.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prudish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prudish
Adjective
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His subject, Nandy told me, exhibited all the traits of an authoritarian personality: puritanical rigidity, a constricted emotional life, fear of his own passions, and an enormous ego that protected a gnawing insecurity.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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While the #MeToo movement toppled scores of powerful men in Hollywood, in France it was viewed suspiciously by some as a puritanical American import that was tainting an essential part of France’s intellectual and cultural identity.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the story, a Victorian husband attempts to drive his heiress wife insane by subtly rearranging reality, most notably by dimming their house’s gas lighting.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2025
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The London sewers were originally constructed during the Victorian era, when the capital city held just around four million people.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prudish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prudish. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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