puritanical

[ pyoo r-i-tan-i-kuh l ]

/ ˌpyʊər ɪˈtæn ɪ kəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR puritanical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

(sometimes initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Puritans or Puritanism.

Words nearby puritanical

puriri, purism, puritan, puritan ethic, puritan spoon, puritanical, puritanism, puritans, purity, purkinje cell, purkinje fiber

Often pu·ri·tan·ic.

Origin of puritanical

First recorded in 1600–10; Puritan + -ical

OTHER WORDS FROM puritanical

pu·ri·tan·i·cal·ly, adverbpu·ri·tan·i·cal·ness, nounun·pu·ri·tan·ic, adjectiveun·pu·ri·tan·i·cal, adjective

un·pu·ri·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for puritanical

His distaste derives from a basic confusion in the position of the puritanical prescriptivist.
Go Ahead, End With a Preposition: Grammar Rules We All Can Live With|Nick Romeo|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pope Paul VI and the Church at that time could be forgiven for puritanical idealism.
The Vatican's Same-Sex Synod: The Bishops Hear About Reality. Do They Listen?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So, people sped by the models less out of puritanical deference to the naked bodies, but to keep up their steely reputations.
Naked on a New York Street—for Art|Emily Shire|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe not such a huge problem for the puritanical but sometime very practical mullahs.
As Iran’s Marijuana Trade Thrives, Is It Becoming a Nation of Stoners?|IranWire|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Saudi society and government are intricately intertwined with a puritanical flavor of Islam, Wahhabism.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?|Michael Schulson|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at the time about which we are writing there was in Boston a distinguished family of puritanical ministers named Mather.
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology|St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt) Seymour
They are too reserved, too lofty, too puritanical to make provision for the grosser wants of humanity.
Fisherman's Luck|Henry van Dyke
The case of Udal, a Puritanical clergyman, seems singular even in those arbitrary times.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part D.|David Hume
Lynching seems often to be due to puritanical fervor, and is compatible with a type of religiosity.
The Soul of John Brown|Stephen Graham
His sense of puritanical integrity binds that fine fellow Turgenieff to us.
The Green Book|Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for puritanical

puritanical

less commonly puritanic

/ (ˌpjʊərɪˈtænɪkəl) /

adjective

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

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

Derived forms of puritanical

puritanically, adverbpuritanicalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

puritanical

adjective

Words related to puritanical

Words nearby puritanical

Origin of puritanical

OTHER WORDS FROM puritanical

Examples from the Web for puritanical

British Dictionary definitions for puritanical

less commonly puritanic

adjective

Derived forms of puritanical