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Purity Spiral

A social ratchet effect within a community. A process of moral outbidding, unchecked, which corrodes the group from within, rewarding those who put themselves at the extremes, and punishing nuance relentlessly.

Not to be confused with 'virtue signalling', 'woke culture', or 'online mobs'.

A purity spiral can contain all of these things, but it is defined by the fact that it takes place in a defined community or society, where being purer-than-thou is always being rewarded, and holding a divergent, 'less pure' opinion is normally punished, a dynamic which leads to an inevitable escalation as only the most extreme can 'win'.

Could be anything, from Mao's Red Guard, to Neo-Nazis, to The Crucible, to Instagram knitting.
After Louise denounced Nike as bourgeois, the village fell into a purity spiral where first Nikes, then all sneakers, then all shoes, and later, socks, were burnt on a pyre by the villagers.

Foot amputations followed in the Spring.
Purity Spiral by pizzleswizzle January 30, 2020
Related Words

puriteen 

A (almost always) young person on the internet who thinks that the internet has to conform to being entirely sfw, and puts all of their time and energy into attempting to police art and media for any remote depiction of sexuality they personally disagree with. They are often seen screaming in comments sections and making personal attacks against nsfw artists over a drawing, when their anger would be better directed towards real people who genuinely advocate for harmful behavior.
Keep in mind, immature adults can also have the mentality of a child and fit this definition.
Puriteen: "OMG THIS DRAWING IS SO PROBLEMATIC DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW. EVERYONE ATTACK THIS PERSON!"
Rational adult: "My account says it's 18+. You're not even supposed to be here, you weird puriteen."
puriteen by gulk October 28, 2023
Word of the Day on June 29, 2025
Pavitra comes from the Indian word which means, "Purity."

Pavitra a truly outstanding sense of responsibility, love, and balance. Pavitra is quite capable of rectifying and balancing any sort of inharmonious situation. Pavitra is a person very much inclined to give help and comfort to those in need. Pavitra has a natural penchant for working with the old, the young, the sick, or the underprivileged. Although Pavitra may have considerable creative and artistic talents, the chances are that Pavitra will devote hhimself/herself to an occupation that shows concern for the betterment of the community.The positive side is that Pavitra is very loving, friendly, and appreciative of others. Pavitra has a depth of understanding that produces much sympathetic, kindness, and generosity. Openness and honesty is apparent in his/her approach to all relationships. Pavitra is motivated toward idealistic concepts, and the sharing of his/her ideas and concepts with humanity. He/she is not one that is giving in a material or a practical sense, but rather one who desires to help mankind with a more abstract commodity such as religion, spiritualism, occult studies, or even psychic abilities. Pavitra has a dream of the perfect world; Pavitra is highly idealistic and inspirational. His/her inner strength and devotion to his/her beliefs are extremely strong. Pavitra has a very good mind that is especially well equipped to handle the higher, more abstract forms of thought.
pavitra
Pavitra by somonewholovesyou February 4, 2013

Pavitr Prabhakar 

I love Pavitr Prabhakar.
Why?
He's a precious bean.
She's really pretty and she has a good personality and humor. She is really outspoken and does whatever the hell she wants. She's a heart throb and a lot of guys like her. She has a hella good body. If you need a shoulder to cry on She's there but , if you cross her over and switch sides on her you will regret it a lot and she will make your life a living hell.
Person 1: yo, look over there it's Pavitha.
Person 2: damn she's hella fine.
Pavitha by Jayline dagger January 8, 2018

Lilly Pulitzer Anal Beads 

Anal Beads designed for anal pleasure but in the bright patterns of Lilly Pulitzer.
Kim used her Lilly Pulitzer anal beads because they matched her new dress.
More from Urban Dictionary

trucker's tan 

A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.
I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.
Word of the Day on October 5, 2026
The phenomenon where adults salivate at children's toys
Every time I walk into the toy aisle, I catch myself kidulting over the latest action figures and LEGO sets!
kidulting by Emotional Cruiser October 12, 2025
Word of the Day on October 4, 2026
British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”

Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.
According to the boffins downstairs, the murderer used a serrated blade.
Boffin by Agnon February 11, 2023
Word of the Day on October 3, 2026

Pee Calculus

When you have to pee in a movie but don’t want to miss anything, and must do the following mental equation: will the amount I have to pee cause enough discomfort to diminish my attention capacity for the remainder of the movie to an extent which is greater than the amount of the movie I would miss by making a mad dash to the restroom.
I saw Satantango last night, wonderful film but by the 5th hour I had to start doing pee calculus.
Pee Calculus by anorlondo October 1, 2026
Word of the Day on October 2, 2026
Literally "dirty" pronounced with a West Indian accent. Can also have a positive connotation, for example Sean Paul's album title "Dutty Rock".
"The girl is pretty but she corrupt and dutty!"

or, in a positive usage:

"Booya! That freestyle was dutty!"
Dutty by J Hall April 3, 2003
Word of the Day on October 1, 2026
korean word for madam, older woman
Ajumma wait a moment
Ajumma by aintnotinbutnice July 5, 2009
Word of the Day on September 30, 2026
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