puritan Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun 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
noun someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures
noun a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
prude.

From Purity.

(Eccl. Hist.) One who, in the time of Queen Elizabeth and the first two Stuarts, opposed traditional and formal usages, and advocated simpler forms of faith and worship than those established by law; -- originally, a term of reproach. The Puritans formed the bulk of the early population of New England. ✍ The Puritans were afterward distinguished as Political Puritans, Doctrinal Puritans, and Puritans in Discipline. Hume.
One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; -- often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has overstrict notions.
She would make a puritan of the devil. Shak.

Of or pertaining to the Puritans; resembling, or characteristic of, the Puritans.