as in fanatics
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 purists
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
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
But some unintentional purists, like Mays, remain on the hairy fringe.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Back then, purists grumbled that the modern reinterpretation of the British classic departed from the rough and tumble identity of Defenders past.
—John Scott Lewinski, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2026
The angry purists shrieked their response, rattling their Converse sneakers in their fists, to remind everyone that trades and free agents aren’t part of college basketball.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
However, some purists believe that glass mirrors reflect light significantly better.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2026
For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
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
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
But some unintentional purists, like Mays, remain on the hairy fringe.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Back then, purists grumbled that the modern reinterpretation of the British classic departed from the rough and tumble identity of Defenders past.
—John Scott Lewinski, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2026
The angry purists shrieked their response, rattling their Converse sneakers in their fists, to remind everyone that trades and free agents aren’t part of college basketball.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
However, some purists believe that glass mirrors reflect light significantly better.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2026
For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purists
Noun
-
Blackfin fanatics think nothing of heading offshore with 500 to 1,000 live pilchards for chumming and for bait.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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So, that’s something for football fanatics, hoops heads and soccer aficionados.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nossiter said Guinea is also sensitive to the possibility that the pilots’ case could get amplified publicly by anti-Western nationalists in the country who might frame it as a sovereignty violation at a moment when Conakry is already wary of internal dissent.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The Treaty of Trianon looms large in the imagination of Hungarian nationalists.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purists. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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