puritanical
adjective
pu·ri·tan·i·cal
ˌpyu̇r-ə-ˈta-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or characterized by a rigid morality
2
: puritan
Examples of puritanical in a Sentence
some of the state laws concerning sexual behavior are vestiges of a more puritanical time and are rarely, if ever, enforced
Recent Examples on the Web
While the #MeToo movement toppled scores of powerful men in Hollywood, in France it was viewed suspiciously by some as a puritanical American import that was tainting an essential part of France’s intellectual and cultural identity.
—
Catherine Porter, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Raising the stakes were the injunctions of the Hays Code, whose puritanical rules demanded that studio filmmakers in Hollywood shy away from depictions of interracial romance.
—Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2025
With their charismatic leadership, organizational skills, puritanical ideology, and internal solidarity, HTS and other militant groups were the unintended beneficiaries.
—Fawaz A. Gerges, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2025
By then, America had become a lot less puritanical.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puritanical
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Catherine Porter, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Raising the stakes were the injunctions of the Hays Code, whose puritanical rules demanded that studio filmmakers in Hollywood shy away from depictions of interracial romance.
—Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2025
With their charismatic leadership, organizational skills, puritanical ideology, and internal solidarity, HTS and other militant groups were the unintended beneficiaries.
—Fawaz A. Gerges, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2025
By then, America had become a lot less puritanical.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puritanical
Cite this Entry
“Puritanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puritanical. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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