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 villa is the centerpiece of Mandarin Oriental's 75-room property, which has immaculate lake views, a botanical garden home to 54 species of flora, and, the Lake Como essential—a floating pool. — Leena Kim, Town & Country, "5 Luxury Destinations for a Mother-Daughter Trip," 9 May 2019 Besides rehearsals and epic on-stage routines, what does Dion do to stay in such immaculate shape all these years? — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Céline Dion's #1 Fitness Secret," 6 May 2019 Yelich became the first MVP to homer in the first three games of the following season, Hader closed things out with an immaculate inning and the Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Saturday night. — Andrew Wagner, The Seattle Times, "Brewers’ Yelich homers again, Hader has immaculate inning," 30 Mar. 2019 Plus, the finished product is positively immaculate. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's Over-the-Top Family Playhouse Is Surprisingly Affordable," 6 Apr. 2019 Shirosaka Shirosaka has all the trappings of a classic kaiseki restaurant: an immaculate wooden interior, a window that looks out onto a placid miniature garden, and a serious-faced chef working quietly behind the counter. — Melinda Joe, Condé Nast Traveler, "34 Best Restaurants in Tokyo," 2 Mar. 2018 Kate Middleton has always had immaculate taste in men. ALWAYS. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "The First Boy to Ever Break Kate Middleton's Heart Grew Up to Be an Actor on 'Downton Abbey'," 16 Mar. 2019 The final Brahms sonata got an immaculate performance by violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley, admirably partnered by Max Levinson at the piano, though a little more of Brahms’ lilt and schmaltz would not have gone amiss. — Melinda Bargreen, The Seattle Times, "Seattle Chamber Music Society debuts an ear-boggling piece by a ‘Dark Knight’ composer," 17 July 2018 The landscaping is immaculate, with palm trees, bougainvillea, and fountains. — Archana Ram, Condé Nast Traveler, "15 Best Hotels in San Diego," 27 Feb. 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.