IMPURE Synonyms: 194 Similar and Opposite Words

impure

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpyu̇r

Definition of impure

as in polluted

containing foreign or lower-grade substances be careful, because impure motor oil can damage your car's engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 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 Women who are menstruating are traditionally not allowed to enter temple grounds, as it's considered impure in Balinese Hinduism. — Zahra Surya Darma, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 July 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

This is where studying microbes that already live in polluted environments gives us an advantage.

— Catherine Armbruster, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
In Wilmington, officials are looking into why a couple of polluted tidal creeks in the area are struggling to recover despite restoration efforts.

— Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of polluted

Adjective

Perhaps her daughter-in-law is not vulgar but, rather, simple and spontaneous?

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Decide for yourself whether that’s a bold indicator of English football’s superiority over the rest of the world, or a revolting symbol of the bloated and vulgar behemoth that the game has become.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

Raw chicken juice cross-contaminated onto raw squid when an employee stacked a container of raw chicken on top of the squid container.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Many Coloradans spent the last few months changing their diets, avoiding produce in fear of tainted food, as nearly 20,000 people across the country were sick after a historic cyclospora outbreak that came from contaminated lettuce.

— Jaimie Dodge, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of contaminated

Adjective

Banners unfurled at off-campus houses ranged from the profane to the obscene.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
The Georgia Bulldog logo has showed up for years on hats, shirts and pennants, but the state Board of Regents has decided that the appearance of the familiar canine on toilet seats and obscene posters is going too far.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of obscene

Adjective

Finally, the third recruits seaweed to gather minerals that are otherwise too dilute to chase.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
Clean and disinfect your pruning shears between working on each plant by dipping them into a dilute 10% solution of chlorine bleach water or rubbing alcohol.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

Definition of dilute

Adjective

The resident is Eugene Horsch, 44, who previously lived there with his late father, pornographic filmmaker and photographer Raymond Horsch.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Parents of students at Sunset Park Elementary School are stunned following the arrest of a former teacher accused of inappropriately touching students and displaying pornographic images.

— Anna McAllister, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of pornographic

Adjective

If lily pollen or another substance is on a cat’s coat, Wahlen recommends wiping it away or washing the area with diluted dish soap to prevent ingestion during grooming.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Even if this is so, experts say personalized pricing could lead to a diluted understanding of what one item should cost.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of diluted

Adjective

Both banged off the Tropicana Field catwalk in foul territory, nullifying the catch made on both of them.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Peter remembers chicken wings, the foul Lower Manhattan air, and buying an industrial respirator at a hardware store.

— Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of foul

Browse Nearby Words

impunity

impure

impurely

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“Impure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impure. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of impure

adjective

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