puritanical

[ pyoor-i-tan-i-kuhl ]
See synonyms for puritanical on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. very strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so; rigidly austere.

  2. Sometimes Puritanical . of, relating to, or characteristic of Puritans or Puritanism.

Origin of puritanical

1
First recorded in 1600–10; Puritan + -ical
  • Often pu·ri·tan·ic .

Other words from puritanical

  • pu·ri·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • pu·ri·tan·i·cal·ness, noun
  • un·pu·ri·tan·ic, adjective
  • un·pu·ri·tan·i·cal, adjective
  • un·pu·ri·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby puritanical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use puritanical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for puritanical

puritanical

less commonly puritanic

/ (ˌpjʊərɪˈtænɪkəl) /


adjective
  1. usually derogatory strict in moral or religious outlook, esp in shunning sensual pleasures

  2. (sometimes capital) of or relating to a puritan or the Puritans

Derived forms of puritanical

  • puritanically, adverb
  • puritanicalness, noun

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