Puritanical(adverb)- of, relating to, or characterized by a rigid morality.

Source-https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puritanical

I found the word puritanical while reading the story There Was Once by Margaret Atwood. The word is on page 70 in the third paragraph. I’ve never really heard the word before and I was curious to know the definition.

“There was once a girl of indeterminate descent, as average looking as she was good ,who lived with her wicked-”

“Another thing. Good and wicked. Don’t you think you should transcend those puritanical judgmental moralistic epithets? I mean, so much of that is conditioning, isn’t it?”

Now looking back at that part of the reading knowing what the word means I understand what the writer was trying to go for. The word puritanical is basically another word for strict religion and strong faith. The author was trying to show that it shouldn’t be good vs wicked because that’s seen in most typical pieces of literature and the good ones always have a strong connection to moral behavior.