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 Furthermore, if a Republican justice retires should Democrats win the Senate, the move will almost certainly be viewed as purely partisan. — The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 At Moontrail, creative direction, storytelling, emotional decisions and artistic judgment remain purely human responsibilities. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Markets like Australia miss out on the mechanical lift entirely, receiving a purely cosmetic styling package. — New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026 Everyone pretends the films were chosen purely on merit, but the slate often reads Hollywood with a lanyard and a conscience. — Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 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

Advertisement As a result, many older users who may have only had glancing interactions with AI have become avid users.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Zygielbaum was surprised however that the DOJ reached out only to him, and not the Republican clerk in neighboring Weld County, which also houses a sizable portion of that same congressional district.

— Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of only

Adverb

Since the AeroSlider moves alongside the axles, its aerodynamic parts remain properly positioned without the need for additional adjustments.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
An agent could be properly authenticated, correctly authorized and operating within its guardrails.

— Shekhar Iyer, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

Rather than exclusively focusing on what’s wrong with our mental health, one approach is to develop skills, traits, and perspectives that can help us.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
The measure specifically exempts pensions and most individual retirement accounts from the tax, with the exception of Roth IRA and other Roth-type accounts worth $10 million or more — a balance compiled almost exclusively by the 1%.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of exclusively

Adverb

Completing the flight test just weeks after a captive-carry event demonstrated how quickly the program progressed through its testing sequence.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
The mattress was ready to sleep on just a few hours after unpacking.

— Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 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

Looking forward, adding Tesla will simply make a new SpaceX’s huge need for cash far more acute.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Loretta Sanchez, a former Democratic congresswoman from Orange County who credits Becerra with encouraging her to run for Congress, put it simply.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 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 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purely

adverb

Example Sentences

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