a member of a group of Protestants that arose in the 16th century within the Church of England, demanding the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline: during part of the 17th century the Puritans became a powerful political party.
(lowercase) a person who is strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so.
of or relating to the Puritans.
(lowercase) of, relating to, or characteristic of a moral puritan; puritanical.
If your brother calls you a puritan, then he’s saying you’re very moral — possibly too moral. He’s implying that you’re intolerant and look down on others who don’t have your standards. The Puritans were a group of English Protestants that formed in the 16th century to bring about religious reform. The Puritans wanted to “purify” the church by following intensely strict religious principles, which earned them the name Puritan. Puritan can still refer to the religious group — in that case it’ll have a capital “P” — but nowadays you’re more likely to hear it used to describe someone who follows a strict moral code and shuns almost all pleasures.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While she is correct that the separatists who traveled on the Mayflower in 1620 eschewed the pejorative term Puritan, she errantly suggests that they called themselves Pilgrims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The northern region, which Woodard calls "Yankeeland", is rooted in the early Puritan settlers who fled religious persecution in Europe, with later additions of Germans and Scandinavian settlers helping to solidify a pluralistic outlook.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
It was branded as heretical by Puritan authorities.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2025
As he arrived to court on Friday, Brand was seen clutching a copy of “The Valley of Vision,” a collection of Puritan prayers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025
There was no holiday in this Puritan town, no feasting, no gifts.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Again, I’m not a puritan calling for prohibition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
He later emigrated to the US, along with other puritan pilgrims, perhaps as a result of the catholic practices being reintroduced by King Charles I, Mr Butt said.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2025
That country’s Wahhabism had arisen as a puritan reform of Sunnism in the 18th century.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2024
I am not a gambling puritan by any stretch.
From Slate ● May 1, 2024
"What, are you a puritan who will not laugh?" she chided.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
