Priggism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being self-righteously moralistic and smugly superior in adherence to conventional standards of propriety and virtue
2. The trait characterized by an overzealous adherence to morality and a condescending attitude towards those who diverge from societal norms
3. A disposition marked by excessive moral rigor and an air of superiority concerning accepted ethical standards

Etymology: "Priggism" is a plain formation: the noun "prig" with the suffix "-ism" attached, producing a name for the attitude a prig displays. The older sense of "prig" is worth knowing, since it explains why the word carries such a specific flavour. A prig was originally a conceited or pretentious person, someone who fussed over trivial correctness and put on airs of superior virtue, and "priggism" names that behaviour as a habit or trait rather than a single act. The suffix does the work here. "-ism" turns a person-noun into a term for a system of belief or a characteristic conduct, so "priggism" describes the posture of the prig rather than the prig himself. The word therefore reads as a sort of abstract portrait: the self-satisfied tone, the readiness to lecture, and the assumption that one's own moral standards are self-evidently superior to everyone else's.