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

It highlighted societal changes in Saudi Arabia that allowed edgy American comedians to perform in a country long dismissed as irredeemably puritanical and regressive.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The setting is still a Swiss alpine hamlet, but the villagers are all members of some puritanical sect and its sleepwalking heroine, Amina, has longings that transcend its limits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• prudish 
• rigid