Definition of chastenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word chaste distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of chaste are decent, modest, and pure. While all these words 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

How are the words modest and decent related as synonyms of chaste?

Both 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

How do pure and chaste relate to one another?

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

the pure of heart

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chaste There were other stories that bothered him more, like a post by a writer who recounted a chaste one-night stand with Tea Party activist and Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell that described her pubic hair. Frank Digiacomo, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026 The songwriting is so chaste and disembodied that an Old Hollywood censor would have no problem greenlighting it. Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026 Rue’s comparatively chaste behavior this season — including in scenes with high school love Jules (the always magnetic Hunter Schafer) — feels like a concession to Zendaya’s huge star power and public image. Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026 Most notable of these other wives is Vrinda, the chaste wife of the demon Jalandhar. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaste
Adjective
  • Swift was born into the Anglo-Irish Protestant elite, and the text satires both the callousness of his class and a then-ascendant approach to morality and politics that held that all aspects of life could be cooked down to a pure numerical value.
    Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, Bier recognizes the pure joy of seeing these women drinking margaritas again, resulting in a vivid and sweet celebration that gradually reframes aging as a process of gaining power rather than losing it.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Given the pristine surroundings, the Phillipses took a strictly sustainable approach in building the property, choosing its location in a spot that would require virtually no tree removal.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ko ensured the recipe’s instructions in this book were as pristine and legible as Vongerichten’s cooking is nimble and gleaming.
    Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • His carefully coiffed side parting is as immaculate as his smile, something that distinguishes him from the rest of his party, whose members tend to grimace rather than grin.
    Esme Nicholson, NPR, 6 Sep. 2026
  • That said, the surfaces are immaculate with Englert, serving as both co-director and cinematographer, moving through the Dostoevskys’ decline with astonishing care.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Liu pointed to China’s 2025 Global AI Governance Action Plan, which calls for accelerating construction of clean power, next-generation networks, computing capacity and data centers.
    Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Yet the compounds that give lemon, pine, thyme, and lavender their scents aren’t produced by plants to make nature smell clean.
    Mike McRae September 03, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Ovechkin played in all 82 games last season, posting 32 goals and 32 assists — modest by his standards, but remarkable at his age.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The walls of the smallish, modest dining room are adorned solely with promotional photos of its own food.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • But the prosecutor leading the case against the Tates, Rareș Stan, had an unsullied reputation.
    Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • For those who have lost everything so others can appear unsullied, the only recourse may be getting what they’re owed in blood.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaste. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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