prig
prig — noun
- prigsingular
- prigsplural
1. someone who is annoyingly strict about proper behaviour and acts morally superio
someone who is annoyingly strict about proper behaviour and acts morally superior to others
Mark's flatmates considered him a prig — he reported every spill and smudge to the landlord.
consider someone a prig — followed by example of fussy behaviour
Ada called her cousin a prig after he made a fuss about everyone's table manners.
The office prig sent a memo about the correct way to staple documents.
There was always one prig in the dormitory who insisted on lights-out at ten sharp.
Kofi feared seeming a prig, yet he returned the cheat sheet to his classmate.
- goody-goody
more childish and informal; describes someone who tries too hard to please authority by being 'good'
- prude
narrower in scope; focused on being easily shocked by sex, nudity, or coarse language
- puritan
broader; implies strict religious or moral views that disapprove of pleasure
- moraliser
emphasises the act of lecturing or preaching to others about right and wrong
- free spirit
someone who follows their own path without worrying about rules or what others think
文法句型
a prig + who/that-clause
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'prude': a prude is easily shocked by matters of sex or nudity; a prig is self-righteous about rules and correct behaviour more broadly.