purer; purest
1
a(1)
: unmixed with any other matter
pure gold
(2)
: free from dust, dirt, or taint
pure spring water
b
: free from harshness or roughness and being in tune
used of a musical tone
c
of a vowel : characterized by no appreciable alteration of articulation during utterance
2
a
: being thus and no other : sheer, unmitigated
pure folly
b(1)
: abstract, theoretical
pure research
(2)
: a priori
pure mechanics
c
: not directed toward exposition of reality or solution of practical problems
pure literature
d
: being nonobjective and to be appraised on formal and technical qualities only
pure form
3
a(1)
: free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes
(2)
: containing nothing that does not properly belong
b
: free from moral fault or guilt
c
: marked by chastity : continent
d(1)
: of pure blood and unmixed ancestry
(2)
: homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters
e
: ritually clean
4
: having exactly the talents or skills needed for a particular role
a pure shooter in basketball
pureness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for pure

chaste, pure, modest, decent mean free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious.

chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows.

they maintained chaste relations

pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

modest and decent apply especially to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward chastity or purity.

preferred more modest swimsuits
decent people didn't go to such movies

Examples of pure in a Sentence

The company bottles only the purest water. the pure notes of the flute
Recent Examples on the Web When paired with a little bit of divine timing and a lot of hard work, his pure talent set him on an early path to success in the field. Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 The singer was known for her pure and crisp voice, paired with exceptional songwriting abilities that expressed her views on politics, spirituality, history and philosophy. Jack Guy, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 In an era inclined to narrative and political art, Tiler Peck is not afraid to give us the pure pleasure of music and dance. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Investment returns have compounded more than 19% annually since Buffett followed the counsel of his friend and eventual business partner Charles Munger to modify his investment approach from a pure value strategy to one that focused more on consistency. John Dobosz, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 In the lead-up to the show, McGirr was pure emotion. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024 Wafers are thin pieces of pure semiconductor material, like silicon, that have been cut and smoothed. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 No matchup, however, can match this one in terms of pure firepower. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French pur, pure, going back to Latin pūrus "free from dirt, unmixed with other matter, free from ceremonial defilement or moral stain," going back to Indo-European *puh2-ro-, whence also Middle Irish úr "fresh, new (of greenery), fair, bright," Welsh ir "verdant, fresh, thriving," adjectival derivative from the verb base *peu̯h2- "clean, purify," whence, with varying ablaut and suffixation, Sanskrit punā́ti "(s/he) purifies, cleanses," pávate "(s/he) becomes clean, is purified," pavítra- "sieve," Avestan pūitika- "used for purification," Old High German fewen, fouwen "to pass through a sieve"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of pure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pure

Cite this Entry

“Pure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pure. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pure

adjective
1
: not mixed with anything else : free from everything that might make dirty, change, or lower the quality
pure water
2
: free from sin or guilt
especially : chaste sense 1
3
: nothing other than
pure nonsense
4
: not applied to everyday problems : theoretical
pure science
pure mathematics
5
a
: of unmixed ancestry
b
: producing offspring which do not vary from the type of the parents or among themselves with respect to one or more characters

Medical Definition

pure

adjective
purer; purest
1
: unmixed with any other matter
pure gold
2
: free from dust, dirt, or taint
pure food
3
a
: of unmixed ancestry : purebred
b
: homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters
pureness noun

Legal Definition

pure

adjective
1
a
: unmixed with any other matter
b
: free from dirt or taint
2
: being thus and nothing other
a pure no-fault compensation system
purely adverb
pureness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on pure

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