puritanical

Often pu·ri·tan·ic

[pyoor-i-tan-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. very strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so; rigidly austere.

2. Sometimes Puritanical of, relating to, or characteristic of Puritans or Puritanism.

puritanical

/ ˌpjʊərɪˈtænɪkəl /

adjective

1. derogatory,  strict in moral or religious outlook, esp in shunning sensual pleasures

2. (sometimes capital) of or relating to a puritan or the Puritans

Other Word Forms

• puritanically adverb
• puritanicalness noun
• unpuritanic adjective
• unpuritanical adjective
• unpuritanically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of puritanical¹

First recorded in 1600–10; Puritan + -ical

Example Sentences

The Jesus Army church recruited thousands of people to live in close-knit, puritanical communities in Northamptonshire, London and the Midlands.

From BBC

It’s another element in Saudi Arabia’s about-face from a hermit kingdom notorious for puritanical laws to a tourist destination that can draw 150 million visitors a year.

From Los Angeles Times

Then there's the "hustle culture" guys, who instead insist that puritanical self-deprivation is the key to masculinity: strict diets, elaborate workouts, overtime schedules that leave no time for a social life.

From Salon

New York and New England went on to become competing centers of power and ideology: one pluralistic and globally-minded; the other moralistic, monocultural and, well, puritanical.

From Salon

As Katharine Hepburn said in the movie, he was kind of puritanical, because those where the times back then.

From Salon

Related Words

• prudish 
• rigid