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
Salafism is an ultra-orthodox, puritanical strain of Islam followed by a minority of Muslims.
—
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
But the music video—which depicts two men kissing and a transgender woman dressing—was a true act of radicalism in the face of America’s puritanical, conservative Bush years.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 15 Aug. 2024
His policies are being driven not only by economic interests but by his effort to forge a puritanical, militarized society built on nationalism and Orthodox Christianity — locked in a civilizational conflict with the West.
—Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
Wahhabism is indeed intolerant, puritanical, and xenophobic, and Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars promoting it since the oil boom of the 1970s.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2016
See all Example Sentences for puritanical 
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
But the music video—which depicts two men kissing and a transgender woman dressing—was a true act of radicalism in the face of America’s puritanical, conservative Bush years.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 15 Aug. 2024
His policies are being driven not only by economic interests but by his effort to forge a puritanical, militarized society built on nationalism and Orthodox Christianity — locked in a civilizational conflict with the West.
—Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
Wahhabism is indeed intolerant, puritanical, and xenophobic, and Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars promoting it since the oil boom of the 1970s.
—F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2016
See all Example Sentences for puritanical
Thesaurus Entries Near puritanical
Cite this Entry
“Puritanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puritanical. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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