prig

1 of 2

noun (1)

: thief

prig

2 of 2

noun (2)

1
archaic : fop
2
archaic : fellow, person
3
: one who offends or irritates by observance of proprieties (as of speech or manners) in a pointed manner or to an obnoxious degree
priggery noun
priggish adjective
priggishly adverb
priggishness noun

Examples of prig in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Even girls, against the advice of monks and prigs, were taught to read and write. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Yet, sadly, this kind of glorious sandwich has become a very rare thing in America, and one need not be a New York prig to contend that outside of New York, good Jewish deli—which is a tautology—is nearly impossible to find, with the exception of one or two places in Los Angeles. John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021 The 21st century has been a boon to young abstainers who reject the word alcoholic, and to anyone who wants to quit drinking without becoming a sad sack or a prig. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022 Not only would this person likely be perceived as a prig, but their reasoning is unlikely to succeed on Wikipedia. Stephen Harrison, Wired, 15 Jan. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prig.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

prig to steal

Noun (2)

probably from prig entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1567, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prig was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near prig

Cite this Entry

“Prig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prig. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

prig

noun
ˈprig
: a person who annoys others by being too careful about conforming to what is socially acceptable (as in speech and manners)
priggish
ˈprig-ish
adjective
priggishly adverb
priggishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on prig

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