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
  • The Rebels jumped out to a commanding 24-7 lead in the first half before the Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to knot things up and set the scene for a fourth quarter that could only be described as pure cinema.
    Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • To see the picture earlier this month was to witness pure, untempered joy.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Their pristine state has preserved a chemical record largely untouched by melting or extreme heat.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • So, scientists are getting a rather pristine crash site to analyze.
    Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • His homemaker mother Leonor (a superb Maude Sandham) and his 17-year-old sister Ilse (Karoline Watson) complete the immaculate family portrait, but there’s unrest there too.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Please enjoy every pitch of Payton Tolle's immaculate inning.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • But unlike actual fatigues, this is cut to drape just right in all the right places and is clean of any distressing and patches.
    Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The costumes, designed by Mallory Kay Nelson, are immaculately clean, unscuffed and unwrinkled work clothes, giving the show an almost cartoonish quality.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Different moments in an institution require different skills, and sometimes those skills may be low key, warranting a modest salary.
    Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Anthropic and OpenAI argue that these new releases push the envelope at the frontier (albeit mostly in modest ways), while bringing costs substantially down.
    Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 22 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 24 Sep. 2026.

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