as in fanatic
a person who has very strong ideas about what is correct or acceptable and who usually opposes changes to traditional methods and practices
a new style of play that offended the sport's purists a language purist who is always looking to correct the speech of others
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Recent Examples of purist
Securing this level of acoustic engineering for 42% off is a massive win for purists and casual listeners alike.
—
Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
This turn toward a high-end consumer market — which reflects a broader trend among many retailers to cater to the affluent — hasn’t been without its critics, especially from music purists who view the festival as overly commercial.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This subtle dose of animal print might convince even the solid-manicure purists to embrace their wild side.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
This created a direct clash with golf purists — as parodied in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 — resulting in the PGA suspending golfers participating in LIV.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purist
Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
This turn toward a high-end consumer market — which reflects a broader trend among many retailers to cater to the affluent — hasn’t been without its critics, especially from music purists who view the festival as overly commercial.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
This subtle dose of animal print might convince even the solid-manicure purists to embrace their wild side.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
This created a direct clash with golf purists — as parodied in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 — resulting in the PGA suspending golfers participating in LIV.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purist
Noun
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The differences have been between the more and the less patient, the cruder and the subtler, the slightly more compromising and the hard-core fanatics.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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Rebellion was also apparent in the hairstyles exhibited, most notably by singer Miley Cyrus, a fashion fanatic, whose short, spiked look paired perfectly with her risque fishnet Marc Jacobs gown.—
Luis Giraldo,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The once-dominant Labour and Conservative parties were losing votes to Reform, to the left-wing Green Party at the other end of the political spectrum, and to the nationalists in Scotland and Wales.—
Andrew MacAskill,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Reform also is eyeing breakthroughs in Scotland and Wales, though pro-independence nationalists the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are likely to form governments in Edinburgh and Cardiff.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purist. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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