Humor welcome.
Ask Prudie. No, really, she is the difference.
Having safe sex is being prudent; having no sex is being a prude.
@janbb…or just unlucky.
A prude will not have sex with you; a prudent person will have sex with you with a condom.
Clear?
The first is an adjective (or adverb with “being”), while prude is a noun.
@janbb: That could be a pickup line, “So, whataya say we go be prudent together?”
@cookieman Works for me.
I was once called a “prude” for not allowing myself to “drink myself silly at a bar”. Eventually that person placing that pressure on me…became an alcoholic! That was first a “pride” then I was “prudent”.