PRUDES Synonyms: 17 Similar and Opposite Words

prudes

noun

plural of prude

as in puritans

a person who is greatly concerned with seemly behavior and morality especially regarding sexual matters the racy sitcom frequently satirizes exactly the sort of prude who would like to see the show taken off the air

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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 prudes But that brief flash of cartoon baby nudity continues to bother prudes, decades after the book’s first run. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Critics leapt at the chance to cast feminists as prudes and housewives as vixens. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 In fact, the prudes among us might need hand fans. — Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prudes

puritans

Noun

Its students arrive morally outraged, a priori puritans, while its professors are enervated and dissatisfied.

— Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
During and after both wars, puritans used large-scale enslavement of Native peoples to bolster their labor force and help clear land for colonial settlement.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of puritans

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prudery

prudes

prudish

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“Prudes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prudes. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prudes

noun

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