pristine
adjective
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When pristine was anglicized in the 16th century, people borrowed the meanings of "early" and "original" from the Latin word pristinus and applied those meanings to what is desirable as well as to what is not. But it has long been a tendency of civilized people to admire a simpler and unsullied past. The supposition is that when things were in their oldest or original state, they were better. Thus, pristine was extended to describe the notion of an unspoiled, uncorrupted, or unpolluted state. And what is unspoiled or uncontaminated may connote the freshness and cleanness of something that has just been made, which explains how pristine has also come to mean "fresh and clean."
Examples of pristine in a Sentence
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
He’s flown down to Trump’s pleasure palace, where Trump emerges in a pristine white suit like Ricardo Montalban from Fantasy Island — while his VP J.D. Vance is reduced to playing the pint-sized Tattoo.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 6 Aug. 2025
So, at the very least, this looks and sounds utterly pristine.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
The upscale glamour of St. Barths is legendary—and for good reason: the French Caribbean island boasts several five-star resorts, designer shopping, and Michelin-starred dining as well as pristine sandy beaches.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pristine
Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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pristine
adjective
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