Definition of purenext
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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 Dozens of countries’ names were misspelled or written in pure gibberish. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026 Los Angeles tends to reserve its backup spots for players who can move inside and outside and provide depth in multiple spots, which isn’t Bailey’s style as a pure edge player. Nate Atkins, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 In addition, the short-half-life isotopes tend to get discarded by the process, and there's also the need to keep the streams of pure plutonium from concentrating, or things could get very nasty. David Szondy august 22, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026 Given he was reared in La Masia, any sale of the 22-year-old will represent pure profit for the Catalans, who in the past few days permanently signed the man that kept him out of Hansi Flick’s first XI last season in Joao Cancelo. Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pure
Adjective
  • As of Tuesday morning, those two clubs remained in the top four English spenders on a net basis this summer, but the reasons are plain.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Every project should publish a plain-English fact sheet before approval.
    Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • An immaculate natural setting, meticulous interior design, simple pleasures such as a complete sense of privacy, and impeccable service are just some of the highlights.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Neighbors were upset that an innocent woman was gunned down, and reflected on the senseless matter of her death.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Cathy is just such a monster, in the guise of a beautiful, innocent girl—according to Steinbeck, anyway.
    Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • There was sheer joy — Warren Barton once instructed Keegan to perform press-ups on the touchline during a game at St James’ for calling a throw-in the wrong way.
    Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Just across the street from the bus stop … lurks a deep drainage pool at the bottom of a sheer 12-foot drop from the street.
    AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • But in the common vernacular of what neurosis means—someone whose life is put upon them, who feels weighted by the everyday, who struggles with unadulterated joy—that is me in a nutshell.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Many who watched that win with unadulterated joy on NBC that Sunday suddenly felt like they may be getting used during the network broadcast of the SOTU on Tuesday.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
Adjective
  • Then there was the rather chaste kiss on Evans’s show late last year.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 June 2026
  • Deadhead your chaste tree in late winter to promote flowering in the spring and summer months.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 19 May 2026
Adjective
  • The video, released by Ukraine’s prosecutor general, clearly shows a person in a black bucket hat, a lose dark jumper and a large white tote bag, walking up the street and placing a black backpack on the doorstep of Yermolaiev’s home.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Huge bathrooms are done out in stunning swirly green and white ‘cipollino’ marble from Carrara with large tubs and separate walk-in showers.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Bail was set at $40,000 unconditional or $20,000 with conditions, the county attorney’s office said Friday.
    Austin Mullen, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Forgo those weapons, as the Iranians have done until now, and the result is destruction, attempts at regime change, and demands for unconditional surrender.
    Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pure. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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