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 In purely political terms, yes. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025 At a court hearing last year, lawyers for Saudi Arabia argued that the connection between the hijackers and Bayoumi and Thumairy were purely coincidental. Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 Hydrothermal reactions, redox gradients, or purely geochemical pathways can mimic biosignatures. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025 Roussel’s arrival as CEO in 2019 has enabled her to focus purely on design and over the last few years Burch has substantially elevated her collections with better fabrics and styles that play off of classic American sportswear but with a decidedly Burchian twist. Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • The viral clip begins with the wife innocently posing for a photo at the airport near a large window overlooking a plane.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This game started innocently with a scoreless first period.
    Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • It is concerned solely with the here-and-now, preserving the peace for just one more day, and waiting for the CCP to collapse like the imperial dynasties that ruled China before.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
  • While detailing the first in-person meeting between her and Rodríguez, Pascal spoke about the specific rhetoric that trans actors sometimes come up against, which is that trans actors should connect with trans subjects based solely on identity, rather than the many other aspects of their humanity.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 15 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The remaining 16 states have chosen a more relaxed approach, with some recommending the individual school districts decide their own policies, and others, like Puerto Rico, only requiring a policy to be formed by 2026.
    Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • In his acceptance speech, Cooper revealed only started drama classes a couple of years ago and encouraged those watching to step out of their comfort zones.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Face washing allows for thorough cleansing if done properly, which allows the skin to better absorb moisturizers or treatments that may be applied afterwards.
    Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This ensures both assistive technologies and AI engines can interpret your content’s structure properly.
    Ran Ronen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Open exclusively for midday dining, RASA restaurant offers a vibrant buffet where Indonesian favorites, Japanese specialties and Western classics come together.
    Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The contributions to this site are made exclusively by university faculty and other academics with an emphasis on debunking common myths associated with growing plants.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at just 18, with seed money from conservative donors eager to expand the party’s reach to younger audiences.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Doctors struggle to access complete patient histories, researchers spend months cleaning inconsistent datasets, and hospitals face spiraling costs just to keep outdated systems running.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • For the Chinese supplier faced with growing uncertainties, tapping a different market may simply be the safer bet.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • These are all totally valid and understandable concerns and can’t be dismissed as barriers to be overcome simply through top-down education and messaging.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • For ardent fans, a team’s defeat triggers the same neural pathway activated when witnessing a spouse break a leg, yet the source is merely a sports game, devoid of any actual tangible pain.
    Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This emulator can also account for how predictions will shift if parameters are merely tweaked by tiny amounts.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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