prig Hear it!

prig¹ Definition

prig (prig)

noun

  1. a person who is annoyingly smug in his or her moral behavior, attitudes, etc.
  2. a person who is annoyingly fastidious about rules, small details, etc.

Etymology: < 16th-c. cant < ?

prig¹ Related Forms

prig′·gery noun or prig′·gism prig′·gish adjective prig′·gishly adverb prig′·gish·ness noun

prig² Definition

prig (prig)

transitive verb prigged, prig′·ging

Brit., Slang to steal

Etymology: ? akin to prig

intransitive verb

North Eng., Scot. to haggle

noun

Brit., Slang a thief or pickpocket

prig Synonyms

prig

n.

prude, puritan, formalist, snob, fussbudget.

prig Usage Examples

Converse of object

become: In a word, I was decidedly academical, and in danger of becoming a prig.

Adjective modifier

  • little: If you're not careful, you'll turn into a beastly little Sunday-school prig, so I tell you.
  • sanctimonious: But that, on the other hand, doesn't stop her calling the local coroner " a stupid, sanctimonious prig!
  • self-righteous: It is the poor who are blessed not self-righteous prigs.