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 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 Ford is his usual tough-guy cop, but there’s a sensitivity, a wounded heart, to his character that comes out most powerfully in his chaste love affair with an Amish woman played by Kelly McGillis. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2025 The medieval image of rape—as the act of a violent stranger upon a chaste victim who goes straight to the authorities—persisted undisturbed in American courts through the nineteen-sixties. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chaste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaste
Adjective
  • As Electrek points out, the E-VO isn't a pure Honda product.
    Utkarsh Sood June 29, New Atlas, 29 June 2025
  • Add in the pure creativity and skill of Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat (legit competitors in their own rights, albeit in smaller bodies), and the two-way play of Dylan Larkin and Nate Danielson, and the future forward lineup starts to look pretty balanced.
    Max Bultman, New York Times, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • This small oceanside town is located on Anastasia Island, a pristine wildlife haven, and offers broad Atlantic beaches perfect for wandering.
    Kara Franker, Southern Living, 19 June 2025
  • Built in 1870, the Victorian home houses 10 guest rooms, each individually designed for comfort with soft lighting, pristine white linens, and textured accents like wicker headboards.
    Karla Pope, Architectural Digest, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • An immaculate inning is far rarer than a pitcher throwing a no-hitter, which has been done 326 times, or a batter hitting for the cycle, which has been done 349 times.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
  • Miami Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill's immaculate inning last month was the most recent time it's happened in a major league game.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • At the end of the dredging, sediment that’s not placed on the beach could be left in the pit and covered with a layer of clean sand.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2023
  • Think about it: the record companies forced them to be clean cut and preppy and all those things.
    Gary Gerard Hamilton, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • About half of organizations using AI in key functions report cost savings or revenue gains, but these benefits are often modest—typically less than 10% cost savings or under 5% revenue increase.
    Karen Kim, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
  • One study found modest reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with cardamom supplementation.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 26 June 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 4 Jul. 2025.

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