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Synonyms

Puritanism

American  
[pyoor-i-tn-iz-uhm] / ˈpyʊər ɪ tnˌɪz əm /

noun

  1. the principles and practices of the Puritans.

  2. (sometimes lowercase) extreme strictness in moral or religious matters, often to excess; rigid austerity.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Puritanism

First recorded in 1565–75; Puritan + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The case, however, made Comstock’s name synonymous with “prudery, Puritanism and officious meddling,” according to Broun and Leech.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2023

He might have vanished into Boston history were it not for the British, who spectacularly and catastrophically failed to understand what made Massachusetts citizens, forged by an independent version of Puritanism, tick.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2022

The Pilgrims who initially arrived in Plymouth practiced an extreme form of Puritanism that broke with the Church of England.

From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2022

Nor were his counterparts in the New World, where Puritanism found space to thrive.

From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2020

He carried Puritanism in his very name, by which his good father intended he should bear the memorial of God’s Holy Day.

From Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature by Bardsley, Charles W.

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