Puritans

Cultural  

1. A group of radical English Protestants that arose in the late sixteenth century and became a major force in England during the seventeenth century. Puritans wanted to “purify” the Church of England by eliminating traces of its origins in the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, they urged a strict moral code and placed a high value on hard work (see work ethic). After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, they controlled the new government, the Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell, who became leader of the Commonwealth, is the best-known Puritan.

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The words puritan and puritanical have come to suggest a zeal for keeping people from enjoying themselves.

Many Puritans, persecuted in their homeland, came to America in the 1620s and 1630s, settling colonies that eventually became Massachusetts. (See Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony.)

Example Sentences

The opening chorus of Act 2, in which the Puritans grieve over Elvira’s madness, features a woman giving birth to a stillborn baby in full view of the community.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

In both his realms, James worked to solidify the Reformation while facing attacks from the Puritans as an oppressor and from Rome as a heretic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

The Puritans were obsessed with that story; they couldn't get enough.

From Salon • May 26, 2025

"It's kind of funny. It's almost as if the old American Puritans and their craziness is resurfacing."

From BBC • May 24, 2025

If, in fact, my spiritual fathers are those seventeenth- century Puritans, there is one important difference between their writings and mine.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez