nice nellies

noun

plural of nice nelly
as in puritans
a person who is greatly concerned with seemly behavior and morality especially regarding sexual matters some nice nelly bowdlerized this collection of wartime ditties that were lustily sung by the men around the campfire

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for nice nellies
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
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.

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nicely
nice nellies
nice-nelly
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Cite this Entry

“Nice nellies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nice%20nellies. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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