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

Her white dress featured a billowing full skirt, a plunging neckline, and immaculate lace detail from head to toe. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Sophie Turner Shares the First Look at Her Stunning Louis Vuitton Wedding Dress," 4 July 2019 Or choose to visit the Japanese Garden and follow the paths through the immaculate garden that transforms throughout the seasons. — Sarah Rubin, Harper's BAZAAR, "How to Eat & Drink Your Way Through Portland," 3 July 2019 Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg threw an immaculate inning against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. — Kaelen Jones, SI.com, "Stephen Strasburg Throws Immaculate Inning vs. Marlins," 3 July 2019 The condition of the course is impeccable and the immaculate greens are fun and fair. — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Top 10 metro Detroit public golf courses for 2019 unveiled," 7 June 2019 The immaculate single-family house was originally designed in 1952 for actress and singer Ethel Merman, according to local fable. — Mario Sanelli, The Denver Post, "This iconic Cherry Hills Village home listed at $7.75 million after major renovations," 17 June 2019 This immaculate home is equipped for every occasion, but for me, the cherry on top would have to be that open retractable roof. — Tainaya Nash, House Beautiful, "This Insane $16 Million Townhouse Has a Retractable Roof—So You Can Stargaze Inside," 14 June 2019 There are shrines to various touchstones of Augusta National lore and a vast, immaculate store that sells Masters merchandise, one of several on the grounds. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 On arrival, the overwhelming impression is of masses of space, immaculate lawns, and mature trees that have been growing for decades, if not centuries. — Jane Broughton, Condé Nast Traveler, "16 Best Hotels in Cape Town," 14 Sep. 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.