What does prig mean?
A prig is a self-righteous person who displays moral superiority, often with a smug or self-satisfied manner. The word is chiefly an insult: it suggests that someone is concerned less with genuine virtue than with enforcing a rigid personal standard and looking superior in the process. Calling someone a prig therefore questions both their behavior and their self-image. The term appears in both British and American English and is especially associated with informal criticism of moralizing, puritanical attitudes, and affected displays of propriety. An older slang sense of prig meant a thief, and an archaic verb meaning “to steal” can also be found. These older senses are rarely encountered today. In modern use, prig is more pointed than words such as moralist or puritan because it carries a strong implication of smugness and sanctimonious behavior.
A self-righteous, smugly moralistic person; in older English slang, also a thief.
"She dismissed him as a prig who cared more about appearing virtuous than being right."
The modern sense is informal and derogatory. The sense meaning “thief” is archaic.
To steal; now archaic or obsolete.
"In old slang, he would prig anything that was not securely fastened down."
This verb survives only in historical or specialized slang contexts.
The plural is regular and takes -s.
"The article portrayed them as self-righteous prigs with no interest in practical consequences."
A word for a moralizer with murky origins: once slang for a thief, it later became an enduring insult for smug self-righteousness.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prig come from?
The word's ultimate origin is uncertain. An older sense was “thief,” while the now-dominant sense, denoting a smug and self-righteous person, developed subsequently in early modern English. Because the precise source of the word cannot be securely established, proposed cognates should be treated cautiously.
Related word forms
How prig is actually used
The modern noun is informal and usually derogatory, often implying that the person's moralizing is smug or self-serving. The thief sense and the corresponding verb are archaic.
Easily confused with prig
A prick is a vulgar personal insult, whereas a prig more specifically denotes someone who is smug, moralistic, and self-righteous.