Standard Lemma guide

purism

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An insistence on pure or unmixed forms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An insistence on pure or unmixed forms.

The desire to use words and forms derived from what is considered the native element in a given language instead of elements considered borrowed or foreign.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: inkhornism

3

noun

Meaning 3

An insistence on the traditionally correct way of doing things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An example of purist language etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

scrupulous or exaggerated insistence on purity or correctness (especially in language)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • linguistic purisms

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: insistence, insisting

History

Etymology

From French purisme. By surface analysis, pur(e) + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نِقَائِيَة (niqāʔiya) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Armenian: պուրիզմ (purizm) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Belarusian: пуры́зм (purýzm) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Bulgarian: пури́зъм (purízǎm) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Catalan: purisme — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Chinese Mandarin: 純粹主義 /纯粹主义 (chúncuìzhǔyì) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Dutch: purisme — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Finnish: puhdasoppisuus — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Finnish: purismi — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Finnish: oikeakielisyys — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • French: purisme — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Galician: purismo — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • German: Purismus — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Hungarian: purizmus — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Italian: purismo — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Japanese: 純粋主義 (junsuishugi) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Japanese: ピュリスム (pyurizumu) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Korean: 순수주의 (sunsujuui) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Korean: 퓌리슴 (pwiriseum) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Malay: purisme — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Polish: puryzm — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Portuguese: purismo — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Russian: пури́зм (purízm) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Spanish: purismo — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Swedish: purism — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Thai: พิสุทธินิยม (pí-sùt-tí-ní-yom) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Ukrainian: пури́зм (purýzm) — insistence on the traditionally correct way
  • Finnish: purismi — example of purist language
  • Russian: пури́зм (purízm) — example of purist language
Real reading context

purism in complete knowledge articles