English vocabulary · B2
Puritanical
/ˌpjʊər.ɪˈtæn.ɪ.kəl/ · adj.
Very strict about what is right and moral. You see most things as wrong or bad.
Watch the Puritanical lessonContinue in the learning app for video lessons and review.
Example sentences
- His puritanical views made fun feel wrong.
- A puritanical parent banned all games and music.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- pure — clean (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- STRICT (rules allow no flexibility or exceptions)
- RIGID (attitudes cannot be bent or changed)
- SEVERE (standards are harsh and unforgiving)
Words with the same root
purus — clean
- purify — to make something clean and free of impurities
- purge — to remove what is impure or unwanted by force
- purity — the quality of being clean and free from anything harmful
Lesson notes
Puritanical. It means very strict about what is right and moral. You see most things as wrong or bad.
Similar words are strict, rigid, and severe. Use puritanical when someone judges everything by very tight moral rules.
His puritanical views made fun feel wrong. A puritanical parent banned all games and music.
From Latin. Pure means clean. A puritanical person wants everything morally clean — that is puritanical.