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 Homeowners are moving away from purely visual landscaping and toward multi-sensory designs that incorporate touch, scent and sound for passive therapeutic benefits. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026 But toward the end of the seventeenth century, sporting artists also began to take on commissions from pet owners, creating art that celebrated dogs who were valued purely for their relationships with their owners. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026 The only major hyperscaler currently using purely optical circuit switching in an AI data center today is Google, which built a system that uses tiny mirrors, known as MEMS, to direct the light signal. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Chytil was purely eye candy for Lekkerimäki, a distraction to keep Warren guessing, to keep him from closing. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely

Adverb

Scottie’s pursuit of Madeleine, first as a quarry, begins innocently enough.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of innocently

Adverb

In her remarks, Wintour made the evening’s only direct reference to the midterms, reminiscing about attending a fundraising event for James Talarico, who successfully flipped Texas in the race for the Senate last night, alongside Burch.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
However, Lelapo guests are not permitted to walk to Kapano or Dithaba, to maintain the exclusive, adults-only atmosphere.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of only

Adverb

To that end, here are seven points to keep in mind in order to strength train properly, no matter your age or fitness level.

— Laura Solla, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
When the track properly kicks in, the guitar strums, drums, and vocals are all present and well-balanced, with no element outshining another.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

More efficient micro-LED transmitters could eventually help data centers increase communication speeds without relying exclusively on power-hungry lasers.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Scientists eager to understand health conditions that exclusively or disproportionately impact women, and fem-tech start-ups eager to capitalize on a potential new diagnostic tool.

— Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of exclusively

Adverb

The measure that would allow the City Council to meet just once a week was included in Charter Amendment EE.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Allen received just over 19%, but was endorsed by Republican Stacy Korsgaden, who finished in third, and Patrick Wolff, a Democrat who finished in fifth, before Tuesday night.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 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

Rather than simply separating the original laser sources, the chip diagonalises the light field’s coherency matrix.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Yet, many families simply aren’t in the position to afford a new car for their teen—while others decide their child isn’t ready for such a big responsibility.

— Melissa Willets, Parents, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of simply

Browse Nearby Words

purees

purely

pureness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of purely

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abandon

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes