grundy: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Overwhelmingly yes. While 'Grundyism' is the derived noun for the attitude, and creative writers might use 'grundy' as a verb or adjective, the core cultural reference is to 'Mrs. Grundy'. Using it alone as a common noun is non-standard and likely to cause confusion.

Typically, no. The archetype is specifically female, reflecting 19th-century gendered notions of morality and social policing. A censorious man might be called a 'prude' or 'moralist', but calling him 'a Mrs. Grundy' would be an intentional, perhaps humorous, gender-bending usage.

No, it is quite rare. It belongs to a specific cultural and literary heritage. Most people would encounter it in older texts, historical discussion, or as a deliberate, often ironic, allusion. Many native speakers might not know the term.

A 'prude' is a general term for a person easily shocked by sexuality or nudity. 'Mrs. Grundy' is a more specific personification of conventional propriety that extends beyond sexual matters to all social behaviour—dress, speech, manners, artistic taste. She represents not just personal shock, but the fear of societal judgment and scandal.

A person who is prudish, censorious, and excessively concerned with propriety and convention.

Grundy is usually literary, historical in register.

Grundy: in British English it is pronounced /ˈɡrʌndi/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈɡrʌndi/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.