A purist is one who desires that a particular item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences. The term may be used in almost any field, and can be applied either to the self or to others. Use of the term may be either pejorative or complimentary, depending on context. Because the appellation depends on subjective notions of what is "pure" as opposed to "adulterating" as applied to any particular item, conflict can arise both as to whether or not a person so labeled is actually a purist and as to whether or not that is desirable.

Examples in entertainment

In entertainment, a purist is a person, gamer, or audience member who considers modifications to a particular entertainment item unnecessary or even offensive, vehemently so if against the specific wishes of the item's creator. They also may make it a point to correct fanon, which they stereotypically detest.

• Some Star Wars purists openly decry the Lucas films done after the original Trilogy and the changes in special editions of the original films.

• Anime purists tend to vocalize their distaste of dubbed animation, and the dialogue (and sometimes plot) modifications that the dubbing process introduces. They prefer subtitled anime in the original language to the dubbed version. Many of them also object to the availability of anime through mainstream channels such as the Cartoon Network or Sci Fi channel, as anime often has to be edited for violence, language and other American broadcast standards. In order to meet the 1980s syndicated standard minimum of 65 episodes, for example, Robotech was created by merging three unrelated anime shows and their storylines rewritten so that they relate to each other. This resulted in possibly the most well known case of anime purist hostility as reportedly, death threats were issued against series creator Carl Macek.

• Manga and comic book purists sometimes vocalize their dislike of conversion of material into television or movies, which is allegedly often modified to appeal to a more mainstream audience to varying degrees of skill..

• Tolkienists who were dedicated fans of the Lord of the Rings novels before the live action trilogy adaptation was created often cite their dislike of at least certain scenes (often the altered introduction of Arwen into the Fellowship of the Ring), and are referred to as Purists. Again, the use of the term varies extremely widely; it is used offensively, in a complimentary way, or neutrally. Loosely, a Purist could be any fan who read the books. Tightly, the definition refers to those who adamantly detest the Peter Jackson-directed trilogy for deviating even in minor detail from the original text. The term's definition varies wildly; many who consider themselves Tolkienist Purists enjoy the movie adaptations and are among the film trilogy's most devoted fans. At the very least, the term is meant to delineate direct opposition to "fangirls".

See also: The Two Towers: The Purist Edit

Purists often use the term "butchered" to describe a work that they dislike.

Other examples

• In religion, fundamentalists are sometime labeled as "purists."
• In linguistics, people who stand for preserving purity of a language by disallowing use of loan words are called purists.