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 By bedtime, Jeremiah and Huda are already making out under the covers and Belle-A has negotiated one chaste spoon with Nic, but no one else seems ready to get close. Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 4 June 2025 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 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
  • California lifestyle If the architecture and location are pure aspirational California living, the Instagram campaign is something else entirely.
    David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 21 Feb. 2026
  • And in one of Fennell’s wildest edits, pure-hearted girl next door Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver) becomes a scary-horny savant à la Emma Stone in Poor Things, with a fabulous voodoo dollhouse and a questionably consensual taste for S&M.
    Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • For many, that represents the appeal of backcountry skiing — a chance to test yourself against the terrain and to roam freely across the pristine snow, unbounded by groomed runs.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
  • The land was once home to the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children, and borders the pristine Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Long’s district.
    William J. Ford, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The wines were meticulously stored over the past two decades, meaning cases and bottles are immaculate.
    Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The architecture was immaculate; the coordination, however, was rarely so.
    Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The way Europe thinks about clean energy has shifted, Morgan said.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
  • But many trucking companies still struggle to find enough well-qualified drivers with clean records.
    Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The rooms Son Molí Country House spans 12 acres of land, but is home to a modest 22 rooms and suites, which are dotted between the main building (where the old mill can also be found) and independent plots with their own private gardens or balconies overlooking the pool.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026
  • What started as a fairly modest four-day music festival in 1987, drawing some 700 attendees, has become a ten-day extravaganza of panel presentations featuring celebrities and business leaders, film screenings, technology showcases, and—yes—music.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • With almost 13 million acres of the world’s most biodiverse rain forest, rich with jaguars, hummingbirds, and 2,000 butterfly species (take that, Costa Rica), plus some 1,800 miles of unsullied coastline, this country is poised for a tourism boom.
    John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
  • This is pure, unsullied Sicily at its best before even the Ancient Greeks got their deft hands on the island.
    Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaste. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.

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