purist

[pyoor-ist]

noun

1. a person who advocates the strictest application of the principles or standards in any field, or who insists on purity in language, style, etc..

   When making hip-hop he began as a purist, putting most of the focus on solid lyrics and less on working with the music and production.

2. Fine Arts.,  Often Purist a practitioner of purism, an early 20th-century style of art characterized by the use of simple geometric forms and images evoking manufactured objects.

   The Purists saw their painting as the next step in the evolution of modern art after Cubism, which they found too decorative.

adjective

1. relating to or being a purist.

   The purist view of theater design is that if there is a column or pillar anywhere, there is a problem.

Other Word Forms

• puristic adjective
• puristical adjective
• puristically adverb
• hyperpurist noun
• nonpuristic adjective
• unpuristic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of purist¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; from French puriste, equivalent to pur(e) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

“The purists, they get cranky about this, you know, and say that it’s supposed to be gin and vermouth and that’s all a martini should be.”

Read more on Salon

At every stop, Paul was a basketball purist’s dream.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It wasn't purist stuff but it was within the rules," Souness added.

Read more on BBC

The actual fighting is recalled in a rather purist fashion, the emphasis on strategy, bravery, near-tragedy and the occasional miracle: Cpl.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some environmental justice advocates and climate purists oppose the deal, but it’s an example of how to make progress in the long term while addressing affordability in the short term.

Read more on Los Angeles Times