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
Curtain calls In 1900, more than 6,000 people in England were poisoned by beer that had been brewed using impure sulfuric acid containing arsenic.
—
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
This method combines impure raw silicon with pure aluminum, lowering the melting temperature compared to conventional polysilicon production.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
Water was often impure, too, especially with the war going on.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
The trash is heated to break it into crude, impure syngas, which is then zapped with plasma torches to further refine it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2011
See All Example Sentences for impure
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
This method combines impure raw silicon with pure aluminum, lowering the melting temperature compared to conventional polysilicon production.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
Water was often impure, too, especially with the war going on.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
The trash is heated to break it into crude, impure syngas, which is then zapped with plasma torches to further refine it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2011
See All Example Sentences for impure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impure
Adjective
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The lagoon is the most biologically diverse estuary on the nation’s east coast, but the manatees, birds and fish that call it home are suffering dramatically from the death of seagrass and the abundance of noxious algae that thrive on polluted water.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
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The state also has an above average number of polluted waterways and more coal ash ponds — small, toxic water bodies near coal plants where poisonous refuse is discarded — than any other state.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Although the Ripken card launched many conspiracy theories as to whether the inclusion of its vulgar phrase was truly a mistake or a Fleer marketing ploy, there is a long history of errors making it through quality control in sports card production.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The joke swap during last year's Christmas episode went to some particularly jaw-dropping places after Che made Jost read a vulgar joke about Johansson.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Dealing with repairs because of the contaminated gas?—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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Major soil removal underway Meerbott said restoring the park has become a priority as crews work to remove contaminated soil.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While touring the plant, video posted by TMZ showed Trump making an obscene gesture at someone who was yelling at him from afar.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Trump responded with a curse word and using an obscene gesture.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
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For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Adjective
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Until then, the only limits on their selections were Vimeo’s standard terms of service, which prohibit content that incites violence or qualifies as pornographic.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
22 Dec. 2025
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Under a new law, Florida began requiring age verification checks for visitors to pornographic websites, notes Paul Bischoff, editor of Comparitech, a site that reviews personal cybersecurity software.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The state tried to incorporate as many voices as possible, which is admirable in some ways, but diluted rural hospitals’ message, Stansbury said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
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As for baking soda, the greatest success was observed when mixing diluted baking soda with horticulture oil.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Four players attempted five or more foul shots.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
14 Jan. 2026
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The game officials ruled that Gobert impeded Wembanyama's ability to safely land on the follow-through from his jump shot, giving him six flagrant foul points for the season.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impure. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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