purely

adverb

pure·​ly ˈpyu̇r-lē 

1

a

: to a full extent : totally

purely by accident

b

: wholly, exclusively

a selection based purely on merit

2

: without admixture of anything injurious or foreign

3

: simply, merely

read purely for relaxation

4

: in a chaste or innocent manner

Synonyms of purely

• innocently
• properly
• chastely
• morally

Examples of purely in a Sentence

They met purely by accident.

a selection based purely on merit

The organization's mission, purely and simply, is to provide food to people who need it.

It was purely and simply a matter of greed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Designed purely for air dominance, the Raptor combines stealth, supercruise, thrust-vectoring, and advanced sensor fusion. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025

And it was purely racially based and—against all the evidence to the contrary—that this was military necessity. —Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025

The art-fashion relationship thrives when support is genuine and not purely commercial. —Nathanael Bondu, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2025

A lot of telescopes are sold purely on the magnification number, with bigger = better in the minds of many buyers. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for purely

• demurely
• maturely
• obscurely
• securely
• insecurely
• prematurely
• surely

Kids Definition

purely

adverb

pure·​ly ˈpyu̇(ə)r-lē 

1

: to the full or entire extent

2

: without the addition of anything harmful or different

3

: for no other reason than : only

done purely for fun

4

: in an innocent manner