adj · noun · 7 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpjʊə.ɹɪ.tən/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpjɔː-/
General-American:/ˈpjʊ.ɹɪ.tən/
General-American:/ˈpjɜ-/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈpjʊɹɪtən/
General-American:/ˈpjɚɪtən/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpjʊəɹɪtən/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpjɔːɹɪtən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P Y UH1 R AH0 T AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Acting or behaving according to the Puritan morals (e.g. propagating modesty), especially with regard to pleasure, nudity and sex; ascetic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: prude, puritanical
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Alternative letter-case form of puritan.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A puritanical person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A member of a particular Protestant religious sect advocating greater purity and piety.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: prude
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: unpleasant person, disagreeable person
6
noun
Meaning 6
someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: abstainer, ascetic
7
noun
Meaning 7
a member of a group of English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries thought that the Protestant Reformation under Elizabeth was incomplete and advocated the simplification and regulation of forms of worship
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Protestant
History
Etymology
See Puritan.
Probably from purity + -an, because they sought to purify Church of England worship of what they perceived as Roman Catholic aspects. The capitalised form preceded the lowercase form puritan.
Across languages
Translations
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
пуритански
(puritanski)
— having very strict moral standards
Catalan:
purità
— having very strict moral standards
Czech:
puritánský
— having very strict moral standards
Dutch:
puriteins
— having very strict moral standards
Finnish:
puritaaninen
— having very strict moral standards
Finnish:
puristinen
— having very strict moral standards
French:
puritain
— having very strict moral standards
German:
puritanisch
— having very strict moral standards
Hungarian:
puritán
— having very strict moral standards
Italian:
puritano
— having very strict moral standards
Macedonian:
пурита́нски
(puritánski)
— having very strict moral standards
Polish:
purytański
— having very strict moral standards
Russian:
пурита́нский
(puritánskij)
— having very strict moral standards
Spanish:
puritano
— having very strict moral standards
Swedish:
puritansk
— having very strict moral standards
Turkish:
püritan
— having very strict moral standards
Turkish:
sofu
— having very strict moral standards
Turkish:
püriten
— having very strict moral standards
Bulgarian:
пуритан
(puritan)
— puritanical person
Catalan:
purità
— puritanical person
Czech:
puritán
— puritanical person
Finnish:
puritaani
— puritanical person
Finnish:
puristi
— puritanical person
Hungarian:
puritán
— puritanical person
Italian:
puritano
— puritanical person
Macedonian:
пурита́нец
(puritánec)
— puritanical person
Russian:
пурита́нин
(puritánin)
— puritanical person
Spanish:
puritano
— puritanical person
Swedish:
puritan
— puritanical person
Turkish:
püritan
— puritanical person
Turkish:
sofu
— puritanical person
Turkish:
püriten
— puritanical person
Catalan:
purità
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Chinese Cantonese:
清教徒
(cing1 gaau3 tou4)
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Chinese Mandarin:
清教徒
(qīngjiàotú)
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Czech:
puritán
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Esperanto:
puritano
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
French:
puritain
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Galician:
puritano
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
German:
Puritaner
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Hungarian:
puritán
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Ido:
puritano
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Macedonian:
пурита́нец
(puritánec)
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Russian:
пурита́нин
(puritánin)
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Spanish:
puritano
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Swedish:
puritan
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Turkish:
püritan
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
Turkish:
püriten
— member of a particular Protestant religious sect
