purism

American  

[pyoor-iz-uhm] / ˈpyʊər ɪz əm /

noun

1. strict observance of or insistence on purity in language, style, etc.

2. an instance of this.

3. Fine Arts. Often Purism a style of art developed in France in the early 20th century, characterized by the use of simple geometric forms and images evocative of objects produced by machine.

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purism British  

/ ˈpjʊəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. insistence on traditional canons of correctness of form or purity of style or content, esp in language, art, or music

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Other Word Forms

• purist noun
• puristic adjective
• puristically adverb

Etymology

Origin of purism

First recorded in 1795–1805; pure + -ism

Example Sentences

Stanford’s self-proclaimed ecological purism doesn’t mean he believes we should do away with nonnative species altogether, though.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2024

Meanwhile, it says domestic purism should be promoted to lessen consumer demand for international flights.

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2021

But I do employ a similar sense of purism about the general strategy.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2021

He picked pointless fights with his colleagues, lecturing them about his superior understanding of the law while flaunting his putative purism.

From Slate • Jul. 15, 2020

In itself the third period is distinguished by a scrupulous purism bordering upon pedantry, strict adherence to theoretical rules, and sacrifice of inventive qualities to established canons.

From Renaissance in Italy Volume 3 The Fine Arts by Symonds, John Addington