noun
grundy
GRUHN-dee
noun
1
A person who is excessively concerned with policing other people's morals or manners; a prude.
"The old grundy next door complained about every party on the street."
2
(Australian slang, usually plural "grundies") Underpants.
"He ran out to get the mail still in his grundies."
adj
1
Excessively strict or judgmental about other people's personal behavior.
"His grundy attitude made him disapprove of anything mildly unconventional."
How to Use Grundy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA judgmental prude, or — in Australian slang — underpants.
Memory tip
These are two unrelated senses of the same word; context makes clear which is meant.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
grundier comparative, grundies plural, grundies plural, grundies plural, grundiest superlative
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Etymology
From Mrs. Grundy, an unseen but constantly invoked prudish character in Thomas Morton's 1798 play Speed the Plough, whose name became shorthand for narrow-minded moral disapproval.