puritanism

noun

ˈpyu̇r-ə-tᵊn-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce puritanism (audio)
Definition of puritanismnext
as in moralism
a tendency to care a great deal about seemly behavior and morals especially in sexual matters the Victorian era was often characterized by a hypocritical puritanism

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of puritanism And for Black women, in particular, the consequences of stepping out of society’s faux puritanism are always much harsher. — Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 21 Dec. 2022 The anti-pop animus of classic rock criticism reflected nothing so much as a neurotic puritanism, or maybe just a snobbish inability to hear the deep beauty of pop. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2026 Although bikini-esque garments stretch back to Roman times, the 20th century began with a period of great modesty and puritanism. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026 He in turn was denounced for what many thought was an old-fashioned puritanism and what many also thought was jealousy — the production was directed by his successor at Yale, Lloyd Richards. — Bruce Weber, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for puritanism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puritanism
moralism
Noun
  • Relative moralism is a slippery slope because there is no fundamental belief by all in something, an absolute truth.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
  • This slows growth, destroys social trust, increases judgment and moralism, and saps societal happiness.
    — Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Definition of moralism

Browse Nearby Words

puritanical
puritanism
puritans
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puritanism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puritanism. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on puritanism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about puritanism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All