house-proud

American

adjective

taking pride in one's house and housekeeping.

house-proud British

adjective

proud of the appearance, cleanliness, etc, of one's house, sometimes excessively so

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of house-proud

First recorded in 1820–25

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.

As to which of these formerly house-proud democracies is more badly damaged, that feels like a coin-flip.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

She continues: “I always have been a weird combination of being very rooted and very domestic and very house-proud, and at the same time, I’m always curious.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

The house-proud suburban couples were as bad at it as the campus conservatives and the guy trying to throw an orgy.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023

He was house-proud, for example, forever embarking on renovation projects.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2019

I don't see how you can be so patient with his criticisms: we all know you are house-proud.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 100, April, 1876 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023