puritanical

[ pyoor-i-tan-i-kuhl ]
/ 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.

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Often pu·ri·tan·ic .

Origin of puritanical

First recorded in 1600–10; Puritan + -ical

OTHER WORDS FROM puritanical

Words nearby puritanical

Purinethol, puriri, purism, Puritan, Puritan ethic, puritanical, Puritanism, Puritans, Puritan spoon, purity, Purkinje cell
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to puritanical

prudish, rigid, austere, conforming, moral, priggish, prim, prissy, stern, strict, stuffy, abstinent

Example sentences from the Web for puritanical

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