prissy

[ pris-ee ]

adjective

, pris·si·er, pris·si·est.

1. excessively proper; affectedly correct; prim.

prissy

/ ˈprɪsɪ /

adjective

1. fussy and prim, esp in a prudish way

Derived Forms

• ˈprissily, adverb
• ˈprissiness, noun

Other Words From

• prissi·ly adverb
• prissi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of prissy¹

1890–95, Americanism; blend of prim ¹ and sissy

Word History and Origins

Origin of prissy¹

C20: probably from prim + sissy

Example Sentences

And I didn’t know their winking humor was rooted in Hollywood’s pansy craze of the 1920s and ’30s, when actors like Franklin Pangborn played prissy hotel managers and other queer-coded characters at a time when being publicly gay carried the risk of arrest.

From New York Times

Spears also played basketball in school and worked at a seafood restaurant cleaning shellfish and serving plates of food “while doing my prissy dancing in my cute little outfits,” the singer wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite her San Francisco pedigree, Feinstein was despised by many on the political left, who found her personally too prissy and politically too centrist.

From Los Angeles Times

For instance, Scarlett O’Hara in this version of the script threatened the enslaved Prissy with a whipping.

From Seattle Times

Although Scarlett does make similar threats and even slaps Prissy in the final version, this particular line didn’t make the cut.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• prudish
• squeamish