Puritan
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.
Origin of Puritan
1Other words from Puritan
- pu·ri·tan·like, adjective
- pu·ri·tan·ly, adverb
- an·ti·pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
- an·ti-Pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
- pro·pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
- pro-Pu·ri·tan, noun, adjective
- un·pu·ri·tan, adjective
Words Nearby Puritan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Puritan in a sentence
A Puritan minister incited fury by pushing inoculation against a smallpox epidemicCritics argued it was playing God, and it was banned in several colonies.
Mandatory immunization for the military: As American as George Washington | Gillian Brockell | August 26, 2021 | Washington PostOnesimus, an enslaved man in Boston, taught the procedure to Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who in turn urged doctors to inoculate the public during a 1721 smallpox outbreak.
Vaccine hesitancy is nothing new. Here’s the damage it’s done over centuries | Tara Haelle | May 11, 2021 | Science NewsA Puritan minister incited fury by pushing inoculation against a smallpox epidemicAcross the Charles River in Boston, where the smallpox outbreak had begun, the board of health chairman wasn’t so mild.
Smallpox ‘virus squads’ and the mandatory vaccinations upheld by the Supreme Court | Gillian Brockell | April 1, 2021 | Washington PostIndeed, Puritan Japan is decades behind the Puritan United States when it comes to sex.
At least in premodern Europe and Puritan North America, witch-hunting follows certain patterns.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'? | Michael Schulson | March 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Like the Puritan ancestors he never succeeded in escaping, he found fault with just about everything, especially himself.
The Man Who Knew Russia Best: George Kennan’s Revealing Diaries | James A. Warren | March 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEventually, Charles I will be overthrown, and the Puritan dictator Oliver Cromwell will take power.
‘A Field in England’ Is a Psychedelic Cinematic Trip | Andrew Romano | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe mindsets of both Cavalier and Puritan took root in the New World, and the experiment launched in 1776 continues.
Pipes continued to appear upon the stage until its abolition (in company with the Prayer Book) by the Puritan rulers.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.The Puritan Mission has civilised him and hundreds on hundreds more, and I wish the parsons had done just half as much.
The Chequers | James RuncimanThe persecution under which Jonson suffered was due to the steady growth of Puritan principles.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanThe fires of the Puritan faction had smouldered out; those of the Jacobite frenzy had hardly had time to rekindle.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanAt this period the alchemist is represented by his descendant as a Puritan impregnated with the secret doctrine of Robert Fludd.
Devil-Worship in France | Arthur Edward Waite
British Dictionary definitions for puritan (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpjʊərɪtən) /
a person who adheres to strict moral or religious principles, esp one opposed to luxury and sensual enjoyment
characteristic of a puritan
Origin of puritan
1Derived forms of puritan
- puritanism, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Puritan (2 of 2)
/ (in the late 16th and 17th centuries ˈpjʊərɪtən) /
any of the more extreme English Protestants, most of whom were Calvinists, who wished to purify the Church of England of most of its ceremony and other aspects that they deemed to be Catholic
of, characteristic of, or relating to the Puritans
Derived forms of Puritan
- Puritanism, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse