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Glite Dictionary
🧑‍🎩 A formal person 👗 Very proper 🤨 To act formal
to prim

to prim

1 8.1
To act or dress in a very formal, proper way
  • verb
  • /prɪm/
translation icon : fingir
  • The teacher's prim demeanor made the students feel like they had to behave perfectly.

Examples

  • Prim doesn't get no, Prim is Prim is my second top three.

  • See, You know how wonderful this would look if you just primed this and epoxy painted this?

  • Next left is HTC (her HTC wallpaper apron gives it away), then prim Nokia with the cup.

    Blog text (1)

  • She always tries to prim herself for family gatherings, dressing in her finest clothes.

  • At the party, he spoke in a very prim manner, as if he were addressing royalty.

Synonyms

to dress up
vsto prim
178 2.7

Put on special clothes for an event or to look attractive

emphasises ongoing formal manner rather than only wearing special clothes
to attire
vsto prim
  • Formal
7 4.6

To put on special clothes to look nice or impressive

focuses on being very formal and proper rather than only attractive
to preen
vsto prim
1 7.0

To dress and arrange your hair carefully to look good

is about formal proper acting rather than general grooming for looks
to prim out
vsto prim
9.3

To dress in very neat, formal clothes to look too proper

is the same action but stated without the excessive emphasis
to prim up
vsto prim
7.6

To dress neatly and formally for an event

is more about very formal and affected behaviour
to prink
vsto prim
  • Archaic
9.9

To dress carefully to look fancy

is more about restrained formal correctness than decorative showiness

Antonyms

casual
194 2.8

Informal and relaxed, not serious

informal
98 3.1

Not formal or official, relaxed and casual

Idioms

prim and proper
3 7.0

Very formal and correct in clothes and manners, often strict and stiff

Phrasal Verbs

to prim out
9.3

To dress in very neat, formal clothes to look too proper

to prim up
7.6

To dress neatly and formally for an event

How Proper

to overdress
8 4.6
to prim
1 8.1
tidy
47 1.0
to dress down
  • Informal
1 3.8

Surface Forms

prim infinitive
primed past
primed past participle
priming present participle
prims third person singular

Etymology

Prim comes from the same idea as the word primp, which means 'to make neat or tidy'. A helpful way to remember the verb is that to prim is to arrange yourself carefully so you look formal and proper.