prudery

noun

ˈprü-d(ə-)rē How to pronounce prudery (audio)
Definition of pruderynext
as in puritanism
a tendency to care a great deal about seemly behavior and morals especially in sexual matters such prudery regarding artistic depictions of the nude has no place on a college campus

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prudery An American designer based in Los Angeles with a background in dance, Rudi Gernreich’s work was intensely body-focused and freeing, and noticeably lacking in prudery. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2026 Beyond how-to books, the United States offered few means of studying art, few great paintings to imitate, and, thanks to American prudery, few chances to master the complex arrangements of human bodies considered indispensable to art’s most profound forms. — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prudery
  1. puritanism
  2. moralism
Noun
  • Although bikini-esque garments stretch back to Roman times, the 20th century began with a period of great modesty and puritanism.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026
  • The anti-pop animus of classic rock criticism reflected nothing so much as a neurotic puritanism, or maybe just a snobbish inability to hear the deep beauty of pop.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2026
Definition of puritanism
Noun
  • Relative moralism is a slippery slope because there is no fundamental belief by all in something, an absolute truth.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
  • This slows growth, destroys social trust, increases judgment and moralism, and saps societal happiness.
    — Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Definition of moralism

Browse Nearby Words

prudently
prudery
prudes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prudery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prudery. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All