immaculate

adjective

im·mac·u·late | \ i-ˈma-kyə-lət

Definition of immaculate

1 : having no stain or blemish : pure an immaculate heart

2 : having or containing no flaw or error an immaculate record of service in immaculate detail

3a : spotlessly clean an immaculate kitchen immaculate uniforms

b : having no colored spots or marks —used especially in botany and zoology petals immaculate

Other Words from immaculate Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about immaculate

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Other Words from immaculate

immaculately adverb

immaculateness noun

… the immaculateness of scrubbed decks … — William Sansom

Did You Know?

The opposite of immaculate is maculate, which means "marked with spots" or "impure." The Latin word maculatus, the past participle of a verb meaning "to stain," is the source of both words and can be traced back to macula, a word that scientists still use for spots on the skin, on the wings of insects, and on the surface of celestial objects. Maculate has not marked as many pages as immaculate, but it has appeared occasionally (one might say "spottily"), especially as an antithesis to immaculate. We find the pair, for example, in an article by Peter Schjeldahl in an April 2004 issue of The New Yorker: "Rob's apartment, with its immaculate ranks of album spines and its all too maculate strewing of everything else…."

Examples of immaculate in a Sentence

… they seemed as remote from metaphysics as their lunch bags and knapsacks. Yet weren't they all heading for those immaculate country snowfields to talk of God? — Cynthia Ozick, Atlantic, May 1997 … and added to this was the fact that this Soviet Army Colonel had a service record that was as immaculate as a field of freshly fallen snow … — Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, (1988) 1989 I was expecting some giant to emerge, but in came a tiny, immaculate, white-haired man. — Anna Russell, I'm Not Making This Up, You Know, 1985 She had an immaculate record of service. somehow managed to keep the white carpet immaculate

Recent Examples on the Web

The breadth of the collection offers a window into the roving mind of its proprietor, Karl Lagerfeld, who sits at the head of a table in an immaculate Dior Homme suit. — Erik Maza, Town & Country, "Karl Lagerfeld Turns Interior Designer With a New Miami Masterpiece," 3 Jan. 2019 Check out that cigarette holder, this retro shades, the immaculate pin curls. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Netflix's 'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' Just Released a Ton of Cast Photos From the Upcoming New Series," 19 Sep. 2018 An immaculate 1978 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon was auctioned Thursday night for an eye-popping $33,000. — Gary Gastelu, Fox News, "What may be the world's most expensive Ford Pinto sold for $33,000," 24 Aug. 2018 The lotus stunned people with its ability to dip into the grime and revive itself unscathed—an incredible daily cycle of life, death, and a sudden immaculate rebirth that can only be described as spiritual. — Katie Robinson, Town & Country, "The Secret Meaning of the Lotus Flower," 28 Apr. 2017 The migrants are housed in immaculate but bleak holding rooms made of metal and concrete. — Jillian Kay Melchior, WSJ, "Is There a Crisis at the Border?," 5 Nov. 2018 The apartment is immaculate—done up in charcoal and silver, with gilded accents and a tasteful smatter of lucite. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Bethenny Frankel Doesn't Need to Be Thanked. But She Wouldn't Mind a Little Gratitude From President Trump.," 14 Sep. 2018 His grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, 92, is still going strong with the immaculate hair and colored suits. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "When Prince William Is King, Meghan Markle's Life Will Change In This Significant Way," 8 Aug. 2018 Modern and immaculate While the outside of Berry and Petter’s home is a traditional French or Tuscan look, the inside is alive with color and contemporary décor. — Taylor M. Riley, The Courier-Journal, "Tour the Kentucky Derby Festival president's home before the Run for the Roses," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immaculate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.