puritanical

adj

1. Of or pertaining to the Puritans, or to their doctrines and practice.

   “The host proposed divers puritanical fancies—nay, once hinted at a head of Cromwell himself; but the hostess overruled all these proposals, and stood firm by the Sun.”

2. Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid (often used by way of reproach or contempt).

   “Exogamy […] has few or none of the quaint superstitions which lend a certain picturesque charm to totemism. It is, so to say, a stern Puritanical institution. Its rigid logic, its complex rules, its elaborate terminology, its labyrinthine systems of relationship, it presents an aspect somewhat hard and repellant.”

   “American society has a double standard when it comes to sexuality. We have a puritanical taboo against talking about sexuality directly, yet we are fine with the sexual images that pervade television and glossy magazines.”

3. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of puritanical.

   “President Upham delivered a lengthy speech which covered the entire history of the Society along with some Puritanical sniffing.”

   “[…] in his writings he [Benjamin Franklin] took an earthy, practical view of sex that outraged Puritanical sentiment.”

   “My mother’s philosophy of life was a happy one. She said children should have every pleasure that there was not some good reason they should not have—a radical point of view in those Puritanical times. . .”

   “She has become very Puritanical, his daughter, and it baffles him, her strict views on religion.”

   “Crude humor and violence used to earn films R ratings. These days, to get an R, you need to show something really outrageous, like a naked woman. (The system is still Puritanical in matters of sex, adult romance and flesh.)”

noun

1. One who holds puritanical attitudes.