purist

1 of 2

noun

pur·​ist ˈpyu̇r-ist 

: 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

puristic

pyu̇-ˈri-stik 

adjective

puristically

pyu̇-ˈri-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

puristic

2 of 2

adjective

pu·​ris·​tic pyu̇ˈristik 

pyəˈr-, 

pyüˈr-

variants or less commonly puristical

-tə̇kəl, 

-tēk-

: of, relating to, or characteristic of purists or purism

a puristic outlook

: marked by purism

a puristic style

puristically

-tə̇k(ə)lē 

-tēk-, 

-li

adverb

Examples of purist in a Sentence

Noun

a purist who only drinks European wines

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Beloved by younger fans who remember the sneaker’s original 2013 release, the style is sometimes ridiculed by purists, but that doesn’t make its inclusion any less valid. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026

Although open-source purists may find the structural isolation restrictive, WP Engine covers all your modern enterprise bases with Editors' Choice award-winning service. — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026

While there are certainly some wood purists out there, Molnar isn’t one of them. — Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026

Yet, trapped within the GOP apparatus, his baseline scenario has always been a predictable squeeze in the primary, caught between conservative purists who view him as too centrist and partisan Democrats who hold the financial high ground. — Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

and Adjective

First Known Use

Noun

1699, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for purist

• jurist
• purest
• surest
• tourist