as in Victorian
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals
some of the state laws concerning sexual behavior are vestiges of a more puritanical time and are rarely, if ever, enforced
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Recent Examples of puritanical
Ed’s mother was said to be a fanatically puritanical figure who isolated him from others, convinced the rest of society was evil.
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Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
This is where generalized odor anxiety intersects with the aforementioned puritanical squeamishness.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Shiite Iran feared the regional ascendance of Sunni radicalism in the form of the puritanical Taliban, an ambitious al-Qaeda, and other militant factions, as well as further instability on its eastern border—Iran was then, and remains now, home to many Afghan refugees.
—Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Indeed, one of the reasons some men left the League was their perception that the institution treated women too preciously and that the school administration labored to cultivate a puritanical atmosphere in a place that was by nature loose and raucous.
—Anne Halsey, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for puritanical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puritanical
Adjective
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The Sherlock Holmes series adds a touch of Victorian charm with rich wood paneling, brass accents, and cozy reading nooks perfect for sleuthing through your own novels.—
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In the 2001 episode shot above Times Square, the poet Michael Stipe sits regal in a Victorian skirt and peppers Automatic for the People and Reveal songs with a rant about George Bush’s nuclear energy policy.—
Adjective
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My favorite stereotype is the one where Germans think Americans are prudish.—
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And then there’s Carrie, who is a heightened version of her lesser traits from SATC: prudish, private and lacking in humility.—
Cite this Entry
“Puritanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puritanical. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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