Meaning & use
Puritans
Last updated
People who hold strict moral, religious, or personal standards, often viewed as excessively rigid about conduct or pleasure.
See it in a sentence
His coworkers jokingly called him a puritan for refusing to join any office celebrations.
The critics were puritans about grammar, refusing to tolerate even a single split infinitive.
A note on using this word
The lowercase, general sense derives from the historical Puritans, a 16th- and 17th-century English Protestant movement known for strict religious discipline.
Words with a similar meaning
moralistprude
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
hedonistlibertine
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Puritans”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.