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 Our Lady was chaste, willingly, willfully passive, untainted by the grottiness of ordinary life. Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025 Some medieval and Renaissance artists, for example, portrayed Mary breast-feeding the infant Jesus at a chaste distance, such that the milk spurts of its own accord into his mouth. S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 Hellbent on destroying the pure, chaste and overly self-righteous preacher who denied her satisfaction, Salome performs a seductive dance at her stepfather Herod’s birthday feast. E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025 For many traditionalists, effective enforcement of this teaching would mean cracking down on homosexuality among the clergy, including gay clergy who are celibate and chaste. Massimo Faggioli, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018 See All Example Sentences for chaste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaste
Adjective
  • Obviously, this is pure speculation at this point in time.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Rybakina is one of the purest ballstrikers on the tour, whose all-or-nothing game can veer from erratic to unplayable in the space of a few games.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Today’s lifestyle shows instead hinge on a pristine, editorialized look—as seen on Open Door as well as on real-estate series such as Selling Sunset and HGTV’s home-improvement franchises.
    Kim Hew-Low, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Pop culture can even play a powerful role in shaping the nation’s perception of higher education–Hollywood still leaning heavily on images of pristine lawns, students in caps and gowns, and idealized lecture halls.
    Yolanda Watson Spiva, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Many reviewers credited the beach’s immaculate facilities and amenities— including bathrooms, charcoal grills, tables, and picnic pavilions—for making their visits true trips to paradise.
    Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2025
  • But with Mayfield playing immaculate hero ball, those issues are less important than the fact that Tampa’s young (and now injured) secondary is exactly the type of game the Lions prefer to hunt.
    J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Since 2019, California has partnered with jurisdictions in 28 countries—touching more than a quarter of the world’s population, with a combined GDP in the tens of trillions of dollars—to cut greenhouse gases, enhance climate resilience and develop clean energy.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • How to Get Around Metro Rio’s metro is fast, clean, and air-conditioned, with stops in Ipanema and Copacabana.
    Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • In Gaza’s Shati refugee camp, my grandfather built a modest shack, brick by brick, on the spot where his tent was erected.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Despite its status as a bustling urban center, Nya Lödöse clearly retained its agricultural roots; consequently, the open, semi-rural structure of the southern section included agricultural plots, modest houses, and gardens.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Ghibli managed to do it in a way that was relatively independent and unsullied of that business.
    Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
  • The crux of the change for Tarantino is that the experience of theater is still unsullied, whereas with movies, people are on their phones and the theatrical window is teeny tiny.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaste. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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