Puritanism
Americannoun
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the principles and practices of the Puritans.
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(sometimes lowercase) extreme strictness in moral or religious matters, often to excess; rigid austerity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Puritanism
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.
Puritanism, by contrast, was born in rebellion against the Church of England and the “divine right” claimed by the king.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Puritanism shattered into multiple feuding sects and collapsed, and 18th century Enlightenment values of cosmopolitan secular government were ushered in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2025
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
Bob found the thread connecting these giants of America’s tumultuous, formative years “in their pluralism, in their liberation from Puritanism, in their respect for mind.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 19, 2020
It was his Puritanism that made Moody try to stimulate the conscience of his land by means of "An Ode in Time of Hesitation," his best sustained long poem, and his most passionate utterance.
From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Joyce Kilmer
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