purism

American  

[pyoor-iz-uhm] / ˈpyʊər ɪz əm /

noun

1. strict observance of or insistence on purity in language, style, etc.

2. an instance of this.

3. Fine Arts. Often Purism a style of art developed in France in the early 20th century, characterized by the use of simple geometric forms and images evocative of objects produced by machine.

---

purism British  

/ ˈpjʊəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. insistence on traditional canons of correctness of form or purity of style or content, esp in language, art, or music

---

Other Word Forms

• purist
  adjective
• purist
  noun
• puristic
  adjective
• puristically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of purism

First recorded in 1795–1805; pure + -ism

Example Sentences

“There’s no point of having some kind of a revolutionary purism that you should only preach to the choir. That would be completely pointless,” Malm said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2023

Meanwhile, it says domestic purism should be promoted to lessen consumer demand for international flights.

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2021

He picked pointless fights with his colleagues, lecturing them about his superior understanding of the law while flaunting his putative purism.

From Slate • Jul. 15, 2020

Nowadays, Arellano balances his appreciation for Kennedy with concerns about her purism.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2020

Like them, he wanted professional success, public office, and the ordinary rewards of American life; and like them, he bears no trace of political or moral purism.

From The Promise of American Life by Croly, Herbert David