prig

¹ American  

[prig] / prɪg /

noun

1. a person who displays or demands of others pointlessly precise conformity, fussiness about trivialities, or exaggerated propriety, especially in a self-righteous or irritating manner.

   Synonyms:

   bluenose , puritan , prude

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prig ² American  

[prig] / prɪg /

verb (used with object)

prigged, prigging

1. Chiefly British.  to steal.

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verb (used without object)

prigged, prigging

1. Scot. and North England.  to haggle or argue over price.

2. British Informal.  to beg or entreat; ask a favor.

noun

1. Chiefly British.  a thief.

prig ¹ British  

/ prɪɡ /

verb

1. another word for steal

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noun

1. another word for thief

prig ² British  

/ prɪɡ /

noun

1. a person who is smugly self-righteous and narrow-minded

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Other Word Forms

• priggery noun
• priggish adjective
• priggishly adverb
• priggism noun

Etymology

Origin of prig¹

First recorded in 1560–70; formerly, “coxcomb”; perhaps akin to prink

Origin of prig²

First recorded in 1505–15; originally thieves' cant; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

What if I sounded like a moralizing, self-righteous prig?

From Salon

Book-banning typically pits small groups of prigs and right-wingers against the community, but communities are fighting back.

From Los Angeles Times

Are you as warmhearted as you say you are, or are you just a crusty old prig who wants to watch old empires while eating your chips and seven-bean dip?

From Washington Post

Never a favorite of the political left — in San Francisco she was considered a conservative and, worse, mocked as a prig — Feinstein routinely infuriated fellow Democrats by reaching across the aisle to work with Republicans.

From Los Angeles Times

Uptight prigs have never been less popular, and whining will not change that for the Christian right.

From Salon

Related Words

• goody two-shoes
• goody-goody