1
as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
be careful, because impure motor oil can damage your car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vulgar
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
Victorian notions of what qualified as impure art now strike us as laughable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of impure
What was considered holy at one time was considered impure in other epochs.
—
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
In any case, playing Bach on a concert grand is an inherently impure act; Bach knew of no such instrument.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In any case, playing Bach on a concert grand is an inherently impure act; Bach knew of no such instrument.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Two major developments in the mid-1800s showed why impure water is dangerous.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impure
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
In any case, playing Bach on a concert grand is an inherently impure act; Bach knew of no such instrument.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In any case, playing Bach on a concert grand is an inherently impure act; Bach knew of no such instrument.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Two major developments in the mid-1800s showed why impure water is dangerous.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impure
Adjective
-
Using vulgar, profane or indecent language in a loud or boisterous manner in the presence of children.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 June 2025
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Between 12% and 13.3% of Americans, around 10% of Brits, and 9.4% of Australians used at least one vulgar word in their data.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Since 1995, $2.9 billion in federal funds have produced public and private investments totaling $42 billion for cleaning and redeveloping contaminated sites, and created more than 200,000 jobs.—
Janet McCabe,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
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Beyond creating toxins that can directly kill animals, or harm humans that eat contaminated animals, people may suffer skin irritation and respiratory problems from contact with some of these microorganisms.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
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But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
-
However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
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The net loss for the first quarter ended May 1 was $8.3 million, or 27 cents per diluted share, which was better than expected.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
5 June 2025
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The company reported a net loss of $483 million, equivalent to $1 per diluted share.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Your husband is foul for not calling out her garbage behavior.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
23 June 2025
-
By the time Wood, the former Padres prospect who went to Washington in 2022 in the trade for Juan Soto, hit a three-run homer that clanged off the right field foul pole in the eighth inning to put the almost-final touch on the Nationals’ 10-6 victory, there was no real overt reaction.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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The wider sweeps are stressing the capacity of the detention system, where detainees have reported moldy food, dirty towels and no changes of clothes for more than a week at a time.—
Rachel Uranga,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
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To properly load a dishwasher for maximum cleaning power, place dishes in the dishwasher with the dirty side facing the jets, with taller items around the outside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Impure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impure. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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