puritan
gb/pjˈʊɹɪtən/ us/pjˈʊɹɪtən/
B2
English
~ 28000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
informal
C1
entity
1
person with very strict morals
A person who thinks many kinds of pleasure are wrong and is very strict about what is right or wrong, especially about sex and fun.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a puritan about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'puritan' is always positive because it suggests being moral. In modern informal use, it often has a negative or teasing tone, suggesting someone is too strict or no fun. Learners also confuse this with the historical religious group; when talking about everyday personality, it is usually lowercase 'puritan' and not about religion directly.
Synonyms
prude (Focuses more specifically on being easily shocked or offended by sex or nudity, often with a slightly stronger negative tone.)
|
moralist (Stresses judging others by moral rules; less specifically about pleasure or sex than 'puritan'.)
Antonyms
hedonist (Someone who openly seeks pleasure, especially physical pleasure, and is the opposite of a strict or pleasure-hating puritan.)
Collocations
a bit of a puritan
|social puritan
|sexual puritan
|puritan attitude
|puritan streak
Themes
personality
|morality
|culture
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He’s a real puritan when it comes to drinking and parties.
- Don’t be such a puritan—there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself once in a while.
- Her friends teased her as a puritan because she refused to watch shows with a lot of sex and violence.
- The new policy was written by puritans who want to ban anything that might be considered fun.
- I’m a bit of a puritan about saving money and hate spending it on luxury items.
Learner examples
- My brother is a puritan about food and never eats sweets.
- Her parents are puritans and do not like loud music or dancing.
- He sounds like a puritan when he talks about dating.
- They think I am a puritan because I do not like dirty jokes.
- The teacher is a puritan about phone use in class.
Noun
B2
entity
2
member of a historical Protestant group
A person in history who belonged to a very serious Christian group in England and America. They wanted simple church services and very strict rules for how people should live.
Usage pattern:
a Puritan [leader/group/settler]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes write 'puritan' in lowercase when talking about the historical group. In this historical sense, it is usually capitalized as 'Puritan'. They may also confuse Puritans with all early American settlers, but Puritans were just one important group.
Synonyms
Calvinist (A broader theological term; many Puritans were Calvinists, but not all Calvinists were Puritans, and 'Calvinist' is less tied to English political history.)
Antonyms
Anglican (Members of the Church of England, whose practices and leadership Puritans often opposed.)
Collocations
Puritan settlers
|Puritan leaders
|Puritan ministers
|Puritan beliefs
|Puritan colonies
|Puritan church
Themes
religion
|history
|culture
Examples
- Many early New England settlers were Puritans seeking religious freedom.
- Puritan leaders enforced strict rules on dress, worship, and daily behavior.
- The play explores the influence of Puritans on colonial American society.
- As a Puritan, he believed that hard work and self-discipline were religious duties.
- The Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England, not separate from it at first.
Learner examples
- In history class we read about the Puritans in America.
- The Puritans had very simple church buildings.
- Some Puritans left England because of their religion.
- A famous Puritan leader helped start the new colony.
- Puritans believed that fun things could be dangerous for the soul.
adjective
informal
C1
property
3
having very strict moral views
Thinking that many kinds of pleasure are wrong and having very strict rules about what is good or bad, especially about sex or fun.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is puritan about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often use 'puritan' as an adjective where 'puritanical' is more common in modern English. 'Puritan' as an adjective is understood but less frequent; in careful writing, 'puritanical' is usually preferred. Also, this adjective usually has a negative or critical tone, not praise.
Synonyms
puritanical (Very close in meaning but more standard and common as an adjective; often slightly more formal and clearly negative.)
|
strict (Broader and less about pleasure specifically; can be positive or neutral depending on context.)
Antonyms
permissive (Describes allowing many kinds of behavior, including sexual or pleasurable behavior, that puritan attitudes would reject.)
Collocations
puritan attitude
|puritan mindset
|puritan rules
|puritan lifestyle
|rather puritan
|a bit puritan
Themes
personality
|morality
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her parents are surprisingly puritan about dating and parties.
- The dress code is almost puritan, banning short skirts and sleeveless tops.
- His views on movies and music are a little too puritan for my taste.
- The school’s puritan attitude toward relationships has been widely criticized.
- I grew up in a very puritan household where alcohol was completely forbidden.
Learner examples
- My uncle is very puritan about alcohol.
- The rules in that house are quite puritan.
- Her mother is puritan about clothes and makeup.
- The club’s new policy feels puritan and old-fashioned.
- He has a puritan view of love and sex.
adjective
B2
property
4
relating to the historical Puritans
Connected with the Puritans in history, their religion, or their very simple and strict way of life.
Usage pattern:
Puritan [values/beliefs/ethic/tradition]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this historical-descriptive sense with the negative moral-judging sense. When capitalized as 'Puritan' and used before words like 'values', 'heritage', or 'theology', it usually refers to the historical group or its long-term influence, not just to being generally strict.
Synonyms
austere (Describes the plain, severe style often associated with Puritans, but without specifically referring to the religious group.)
Antonyms
lax (Describes attitudes or rules that are not strict, contrasting with the strictness associated with Puritan beliefs.)
Collocations
Puritan values
|Puritan work ethic
|Puritan tradition
|Puritan culture
|Puritan heritage
|Puritan theology
Themes
religion
|history
|culture
Examples
- The region’s laws reflect a strong Puritan heritage.
- Their Puritan work ethic emphasized hard labor and self-control.
- The museum has an exhibit on Puritan life in New England.
- Some modern debates about sexuality still echo Puritan beliefs.
- The architecture of the meeting house is very plain and Puritan in style.
Learner examples
- We studied Puritan beliefs in our history class.
- The town has many old Puritan churches.
- Her family keeps some traditional Puritan values.
- He wrote a book about Puritan culture in America.
- The simple house showed a Puritan way of life.
Grammar
Dictionary form
puritan
IPA
GB/pjˈʊɹɪtən/
US/pjˈʊɹɪtən/
Syllables & stress
pur - it - an (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (pur)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: puritan
Noun
- Base: puritan
- Plural: puritans
Word family
Forms
puritans
noun
Core family
puritanical
adjective C1
puritanism
noun
Expressions
a bit of a puritan
1/ə bˈɪt əv ə pjˈʊɹɪtən/
fixed phrase
informal
someone who is somewhat strict morally
Used to say that someone is rather strict about what is right or wrong, especially about sex, alcohol, or fun, but not in an extreme way.
Examples
- I’m a bit of a puritan when it comes to watching violent movies.
- She’s a bit of a puritan about drinking, so don’t expect her to go to bars.
- He can be a bit of a puritan, but he means well.
a puritan streak
1/ə pjˈʊɹɪtən stɹˈik/
fixed phrase
tendency toward strict moral views
A part of someone’s character that makes them strict about pleasure or moral rules.
Examples
- Despite his easygoing image, he has a puritan streak about money and debt.
- There’s a puritan streak in our culture that still makes people feel guilty about enjoying themselves.