purist

noun

pur·ist | \ ˈpyu̇r-ist

Definition of purist

: a person who adheres strictly and often excessively to a tradition especially : one preoccupied with the purity of a language and its protection from the use of foreign or altered forms

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Examples of purist in a Sentence

a purist who only drinks European wines

Recent Examples on the Web To the baseball purist, none of this was a negative. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Aztecs hitters pound Toreros pitchers in season-opening victory," 19 Feb. 2021 However, Pilcher wasn't a purist with his references. — Hannah Morrill, Marie Claire, "'Bridgerton's Hair Designer Talks Wigs, Wefts, and Whistledown," 12 Jan. 2021 Smashburgers are the new sandwich hotness, and devotees can be divided into purist and avant-garde camps. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "The best Bay Area food pop-ups of 2020," 14 Dec. 2020 Making the distinction in this way seems to stack the deck against the purist. — Corey Robin, The New Yorker, "The Professor and the Politician," 12 Nov. 2020 In conventional readings, the first ethic is associated with the purist, who codes as a professor or intellectual, and who cares more about his good intentions than the consequences of his actions. — Corey Robin, The New Yorker, "The Professor and the Politician," 12 Nov. 2020 Hardline Salafis from the purist strain, meanwhile, have encouraged Muslims to leave the country, declaring that imperfect Muslim countries are preferable to France. — Martha Lee, National Review, "France’s Flawed Stand against Islamist Radicalization," 27 Oct. 2020 But even the most committed driving purist doesn't have fun on I-95. — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, "Ezra Dyer: The Cadillac CT6 Takes the Wheel," 16 Aug. 2020 Like a lot of musicians, Rateliff also loves talking gear — two-inch tape machines, analog mixing consoles, tube amps — but is by no means a purist. — John Wenzel, The Know, "Nathaniel Rateliff, sans Night Sweats, on the struggle, loss and inspiration in his new solo album," 7 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.