PURE Synonyms: 227 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'pure' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of pure are chaste , decent , and modest . While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions. // the pure of heart

Q: In what contexts can 'chaste' take the place of 'pure'?

Although the words chaste and pure have much in common, 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

Q: How are the words 'modest' and 'decent' related as synonyms of 'pure'?

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

pure

adjective

ˈpyu̇r

Definition of pure next

as in plain

free from added matter There is a big difference between pure maple syrup and pancake syrup made with other ingredients. the solution must be kept pure for the experiment to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in immaculate

free from any trace of the coarse or indecent the humor in the movie is as pure and wholesome as any parent could wish

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as in innocent

free from sin in one beatitude those who are pure in heart are promised the sight of God

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as in sheer

having no exceptions or restrictions that story is pure nonsense

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word pure distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of pure are chaste, decent, and modest. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

In what contexts can chaste take the place of pure?

Although the words chaste and pure have much in common, 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 pure?

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

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 pure Electrochemical additive manufacturing enables the creation of pure copper structures with micro-precision details as fine as 30 micrometers, far surpassing the thermal conductivity of standard aluminum alloys. —

Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026 In the eight years since, pure defiance has become sustenance. —

Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026 The bar is made of wood, the stools are made of wood, and the decor is pure Americana with flags and loads of musical paraphernalia. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026 Across its many subgenres, reality television is a format that contains multitudes, including competition, luxury, romance, aspirational support or instruction, scopophilia, pure escapism, and, at its most shameless (and sometimes, yes, gratifying), a heaping portion of schadenfreude. —

Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pure

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pure

Adjective

Revisiting maps mid-decade for political advantage runs directly against both the spirit and the plain language of those protections.

— Dan Daley, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
But a glimpse at an earlier journalistic universe—newspapers in the era before social media—shows the dishonesty at the center of the project to treat the plain meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment as up for grabs.

— Lawrence Glickman, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026