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
But that’s what football – yes, football – purists are going to have to deal with as this summer’s World Cup reaches its dramatic conclusion in New Jersey’s Meadowlands on July 19.
—
Ben Church, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
The Odyssey trailer that’s upsetting some purists?
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 10 May 2026
Some include fruit that purists might not approve of, but that should be tried.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
But purists have seen the sport change as prize money has soared.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
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 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
Ben Church, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
The Odyssey trailer that’s upsetting some purists?
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 10 May 2026
Some include fruit that purists might not approve of, but that should be tried.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
That song’s twangful snarl — wonderfully sung by Clark, a star recording artist in her own right — is a reminder that these insurgents are also preservationists, capable of delivering old-fashioned pleasures to please the purists.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
But purists have seen the sport change as prize money has soared.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purists
Noun
-
For both Milne and Dermody, long-time Eurovision fanatics who have traveled to Vienna, the contest is somewhat diminished this year.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
While Washington was private about his Anglican beliefs and a supporter of religious freedom for all faiths, Christian nationalists have been reviving the image, and with it, the claim that the US is an inherently Christian nation at its origin.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
15 May 2026
-
However, the issue cannot be resolved by simply blaming those who lean toward the right or become nationalists.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purists. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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