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
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Heading upstairs, all the way to the top, there's an impressive fitness center—old-school wooden pilates machines, pristine new equipment, punching bags, just the works.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
For a bird’s-eye view of the jungle and villages, climb the towering Nohoch Mul Pyramid to emerge around 138 feet above the canopy before cooling off in your choice of pristine cenotes.
—Gemma Price, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
There’s still a time and place for the pristine glassware, fancy silver, and perfectly arranged centerpieces, but no one is going to judge you if there’s a little dust bunny in the corner or for choosing paper napkins over linen.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pristine
Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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pristine
adjective
