PURELY Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

purely

adverb

ˈpyu̇r-lē

Definition of purely

as in innocently

with purity of thought and deed the devout girl vowed to live her life purely and in the service of God

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in solely

for nothing other than I fish purely for the fun of it—I don't care if I end up with no fish to fry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in only

nothing more than her pleasantries were purely for show and masked her true feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 purely Though Lyons’s clownish sensibilities are central to The Woman on the Edge, the show isn’t purely clown, integrating other forms and techniques, from contemporary dance to film reenactment. — Georgie McKeon, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026 Recent studies have proposed that these fluctuations are not purely random but occur within what is known as a chaotic attractor — a set of possible storm states within which the hurricane can evolve unpredictably. — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 The only downside is that he’s seen as a purely comic figure by some in the industry. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026 Candle warmer lamps in particular are being positioned as flame-free ambiance for daily use rather than as gift-shop items, and heated throws are showing up in reading-and-movie-night framings rather than purely as cold-weather gear. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely

Adverb

His ideas align with Hinton’s, and by 2013 the two of them—along with a third partner, Fedor Fedotov’s Alex Krizhevsky—find themselves at Google, innocently pursuing their research.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
The scoring started innocently enough, Stockton marching the team 79 yards on an 11-play workmanlike touchdown drive.

— Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of innocently

Adverb

But when an event swells to the size of a city — the New York City Marathon had nearly 60,000 finishers last year — climate risk is no longer solely a personal matter.

— Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
During a separate appearance at the Bloomberg conference, RedBird Capital Partners founder Gerry Cardinale, a Paramount investor and board member, said finding $6 billion in cuts would be relatively easy, and would not be focused solely on layoffs.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solely

Adverb

One woman writing for Hers described spending about an hour working up the courage for her first weight-loss shot, only to find the thin needle barely hurt.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
His films have so far ended in darkness, offering only the belief that light might exist somewhere ahead.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of only

Adverb

Whether the military was properly prepared for treating its wounded in the current Iran war has become a sharp point of contention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
If a regular electric toothbrush already does the job when used properly, how much is a toothbrush camera actually adding?

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

His report shattered the notion that serious fine wine belonged exclusively to Europe and put Napa Valley on the global map.

— Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
The Benton show focuses mostly on Pusey’s prints, drawing exclusively from the collection of Ian White, artist, educator and son of esteemed artist Charles White.

— Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of exclusively

Adverb

That is because Lula, Brazil’s current president and campaigning candidate, had been parading the centre of Rio just a few hundred meters away from the port.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Kagan and Soai figured out, for the first time, a way to create just one of those mirror images.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of just

Adverb

The solution is a lot of morphine and a lot of rest, both of which Cathy undertakes with Adam constantly (and chastely) by her side.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.

— Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of chastely

Adverb

Demand, however, for multifamily will grow along with interest rates, simply because fewer people will be able to afford to buy a home.

— Diana Olick, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
While the university grappled with yet another football scandal, an Ann Arbor moving crew simply got to work—sorting, packing and hauling away the remnants of a fallen career, one item at a time, over the span of six hours.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of simply

Browse Nearby Words

purees

purely

pureness

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Style

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purely

adverb

Example Sentences

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