Puritan

American  

[pyoor-i-tn] / ˈpyʊər ɪ tn /

noun

1. a member of a group of Protestants that arose in the 16th century within the Church of England, demanding the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline: during part of the 17th century the Puritans became a powerful political party.

2. (lowercase) a person who is strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Puritans.

2. (lowercase) of, relating to, or characteristic of a moral puritan; puritanical.

Puritan ¹ British  

/ ˈpjʊərɪtən /

noun

1. any of the more extreme English Protestants, most of whom were Calvinists, who wished to purify the Church of England of most of its ceremony and other aspects that they deemed to be Catholic

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adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Puritans

puritan ² British  

/ ˈpjʊərɪtən /

noun

1. a person who adheres to strict moral or religious principles, esp one opposed to luxury and sensual enjoyment

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adjective

1. characteristic of a puritan

Other Word Forms

• Puritanism noun
• anti-Puritan noun
• antipuritan noun
• pro-Puritan noun
• propuritan noun
• puritanism noun
• puritanlike adjective
• puritanly adverb
• unpuritan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Puritan

1540–50; < Late Latin pūrit ( ās ) purity + -an

Example Sentences

Remarkably, her family agrees to their marriage, but when Arturo discovers that the mysterious prisoner held by Puritans is Enrichetta, the widow of the executed King Charles I, he helps her escape.

From The Wall Street Journal

In both his realms, James worked to solidify the Reformation while facing attacks from the Puritans as an oppressor and from Rome as a heretic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Oatmeal, the once-humble slop of Puritans and heart-healthy dads, now served in ribbed ceramic bowls under a snowfall of hemp hearts and bee pollen.

From Salon

As he arrived to court on Friday, Brand was seen clutching a copy of “The Valley of Vision,” a collection of Puritan prayers.

From Los Angeles Times

As a side note, the Puritans were also obsessed with self-investigation.

From Salon