Definition of IMMACULATE

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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 But, for me, the images themselves have this special kind of beauty, seeing the decay that nature has wrought on these once-immaculate, sophisticated systems and installations. — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Photographic Tour of Abandoned Cold War Sites," 31 Dec. 2019 The immaculate Hotel de Russie, with its peaceful spa, secret garden, has the best aperitivos in the city. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "25 Best Places to Spend Christmas: The World's Most Festive Cities," 6 Dec. 2019 One side is immaculate, gray concrete devoid of markings. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "From Bethlehem to San Antonio, Guadalupe’s image is constant," 12 Dec. 2019 Others—like the chain itself—claim the burgers’ immaculate condition can only be blamed on their final resting place. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "The Last McDonald's Burger in Iceland Just Turned 10. It's Still in Perfect Condition.," 1 Nov. 2019 Foliage and fruit can be turned out in immaculate condition. — The Economist, "The foody benefits of farming vertically," 29 Aug. 2019 For Trump to keep saying that this is the immaculate conversation, that it was conceived without sin and that the transcript was perfect and all that kind of stuff . . — Nr Staff, National Review, "Impeachment Woes and DACA Throes," 15 Nov. 2019 These immaculate townhomes are built to suit a variety of lifestyles, with an abundance of room for entertaining, living and relaxing. — Amanda Molitor, The Denver Post, "JP23 is close to the city but far from the ordinary," 14 Nov. 2019 Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas road stop institution known for its immaculate bathrooms, plans to break ground on its first store in Georgia next week. — Paul Takahashi, Houston Chronicle, "Buc-ee’s to break ground on Georgia travel center," 12 Nov. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Immaculate.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immaculate. Accessed 20 January 2020.