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
  • Yet, despite having pristine pools of first-party consumer insights, many CDPs remain passive archives—costly repositories of record that store data rather than act on it in real time.
    Pratik Bhadra, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But look, there’s also loads of Ye Olde charm, beautiful beaches, pristine forests and a brand-new cappuccino machine!
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 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
  • While the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7, Eagle worked like a strong nose tackle in Kuechly’s playing days, taking care of the blockers to let a linebacker have clean lanes to make tackles.
    Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The only men were the mayor, the three members of town council, the priest from the Catholic church, Father Michael, and the reverend from the Baptist church, as well as a man with a balding head and a full moustache, his suit pressed and clean.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Despite this modest tourism boom, the town retains plentiful architectural evidence of its history as a turn-of-the-century manufacturing hub, with an abundance of red-brick and steel edifices lining its streets.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Polo's efficient 133-hp electric motor, and of course, modest driving habits.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • In Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, evil is a native sickness that contaminates an otherwise perfect, unsullied child of empire.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But the prosecutor leading the case against the Tates, Rareș Stan, had an unsullied reputation.
    Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaste. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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