as in Victorian
given to or marked by very conservative standards regarding personal behavior or morals
some of the state laws concerning sexual behavior are vestiges of a more puritanical time and are rarely, if ever, enforced
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Recent Examples of puritanical
In voiceover, Ai fondly recalls her own uncles and aunts sneaking out to clubs at night, partying all weekend, clashing with their elders and the more puritanical past generations stunned by the appropriation of sexier dress, style, and musical verve.
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
In this version, religious zealots—some imported, and some homegrown—are trying to impose a puritanical form of religious law on society.
—Daniel Corstange, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2016
Before each performance, the scene is set by a narrator who speaks in a prim, puritanical accent reminiscent of a bygone era.
—Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
The complaints were frequently of a puritanical and/or phony high-brow bent.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for puritanical 
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
In this version, religious zealots—some imported, and some homegrown—are trying to impose a puritanical form of religious law on society.
—Daniel Corstange, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2016
Before each performance, the scene is set by a narrator who speaks in a prim, puritanical accent reminiscent of a bygone era.
—Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
The complaints were frequently of a puritanical and/or phony high-brow bent.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for puritanical
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Cite this Entry
“Puritanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puritanical. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
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