Definition of purelynext
1
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed the devout girl vowed to live her life purely and in the service of God

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in only
nothing more than her pleasantries were purely for show and masked her true feelings

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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 Yarborough described their initial venture as focused purely on lending to crypto businesses. Ben Weiss, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026 Any prices or levels shown are either historical or purely indicative. Katie Stockton, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026 Whereas AlphaGo was initially shown a number of human Go matches as a baseline, AlphaZero became dominant at a number of games—Go, chess, and so on—purely by playing itself, with zero prior knowledge, and learning from each game. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2026 This isn't a trip purely for relaxation, but one with intention behind it. Kirah Tabourn, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • Bethenny Frankel was innocently applying a roller on her face to help with inflammation on Thursday on Instagram.
    Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The mistake begins innocently enough.
    Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • Readers should not rely solely on the content of this article and are encouraged to seek professional advice tailored to their specific circumstances.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
  • All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, or its parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • With attackers on both shoulders, Dengler could only tap the ball back to Andema in net, forcing Andema to scramble and desperately boot the ball upfield.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
  • But that came only after the visitors scored the first ever goal in the stadium’s history when Guilherme Biro struck the first blow in the game’s sixth minute.
    Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • Everyone is urged to properly dispose of cigarette butts, matches, and any other flammable items in appropriate containers.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Shades of Apollo 13 The Artemis astronauts will orbit Earth for a day to make certain everything is working properly before igniting the main engine and heading for the moon.
    Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
  • Senior midfielder Erin Hadley is playing high school soccer for the first time for Lincoln-Way Central after previously competing exclusively with her club team.
    Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The previous day, Olitzky had similarly endorsed focussing exclusively on the plight of the hostages in response to a letter from Liba Beyer.
    Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
  • Their facility would use just 2% of a hyperscaler’s power and occupy about 2% as much space, according to the company.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
  • That just felt so, almost traumatizing to even imagine.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • For example, the theme of superposition—put very simply, the idea that characters exist in a number of potential states simultaneously, some of them mutually exclusive, and this ambiguity or multiplicity doesn’t get resolved until some point in the future.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The service is performed by the choir, with the congregation participating simply by listening.
    ABC News, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • To confuse UConn with anything other than the University of Connecticut would be akin to assuming Duke was merely some nobleman in England.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Juliet is arguing that Romeo’s name is merely a label that does not define his essence.
    Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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