puriteen

English

Etymology

Blend of puritan +‎ teen.

Noun

puriteen (plural puriteens)

1. (slang, derogatory, neologism) A teenager or young adult (especially an LGBT or LGBT-supportive member of Gen Z) whose views on sexuality are seen as sex-negative or moralistic.
   • 2021 June 14, EJ Dickson, “Are Sex-Negative ‘Puriteens’ Actually Taking Over the Internet?”, in Rolling Stone:

     “Sorry to all the puriteens who will never know the unfettered joy of taking your top off inside the Stonewall Inn,” said one prominent activist on Twitter. “I hope you never know the pain of being beaten by a cop for standing up for queer rights.”

   • 2021 July 30, Maddie Holden, “Gen Z Are 'Puriteens,' But Not For The Reasons You Think”, in GQ:

     Young puriteens have recently been seen on social media moralizing about large age gaps in adult relationships and partaking in the perennial “No Kink at Pride” debate.

   • 2022 August 6, Eleanor Halls, “This Is What The Sex Lives Of Gen Z-ers Are Actually Like”, in Vogue:

     As one Twitter user put it rather succinctly: “The concept of the ‘puriteen’ is the most insane and perverted moral panic ever. Hundreds of 35-year-olds on the internet freaking out because they think teenagers are insufficiently horny.”

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:puriteen.