adjective
prissy
PRIS-ee/ˈprɪsi/
Excessively concerned with being proper or respectable.
The prissy diner scolds ordinary cookie-eating while using a knife and fork herself.
Etymology
Prissy may be an alteration of precise or a blend of prim and sissy; neither explanation is established. Its early meaning, “too precise, over-particular,” already conveys the excessive fussiness of the selected sense.
In context
my love I was thinking about how prissy I can be at times taken up more with external things instead of just a heart I said yes I know I can be fussy about some things
More examples
- Don't be so prissy about elbows on the table.
- She gives us a prissy lecture about using slang.
- He seems prissier whenever someone tells a slightly rude joke.
Forms
prissy · prissier · prissiest
prissiness noun — Excessive concern with proper behavior.
prissily adverb — In an excessively proper manner.
Similar words
- prim
- Prim suggests stiff formality, without necessarily implying excessive fussiness.
- prudish
- Prudish focuses on discomfort with sex or perceived indecency.
- straitlaced
- Straitlaced emphasizes strict moral standards rather than fussy manners.