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prudery

[ proo-duh-ree ]

/ ˈpru də ri /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR prudery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural prud·er·ies for 2.

excessive propriety or modesty in speech, conduct, etc.

pruderies, prudish actions, phrases, or words.

Origin of prudery

From the French word pruderie, dating back to 1700–10. See prude, -ery

Words nearby prudery

prude, prudence, prudent, prudential, prudentius, prudery, prudhoe bay, prudish, pruinose, prune, prune-belly syndrome

Example sentences from the Web for prudery

These were men of their time, and their aesthetic interest in the ancient world was throttled by Christian prudery.

The Importance of Adult Classifieds |Hazlitt |September 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Thats what I like in English prudery, that it cares for trifles only.

Saunterings in and about London |Max Schlesinger
Dryden, who was innocent of prudery, declared that there was "more indecency" in that drama "than in all our plays together."

Shakespeare and the Modern Stage |Sir Sidney Lee
He calls her “Prue” in fondness and reproach; she was Prudery itself!

Calamities and Quarrels of Authors |Isaac Disraeli

Each age has its degree of decency, which is prudery for this and blackguardism for another.

A Tour Through The Pyrenees |Hippolyte Adolphe Taine
Happily the day is passing when prudery governed the discussion of sex.

The Nervous Housewife |Abraham Myerson