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 For North Korea, isolated and impoverished, the relationship with Russia remains purely transactional, Seskuria said. Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025 The difference between Hisense and Samsung's approaches is purely in LED size. PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025 The relationship loses its collaborative element and becomes purely functional. Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 In the meantime, my students and I can’t wait to get our hands on one of these humanoids—purely in the name of science—bring it to older adults in our communities, and hear their unfiltered reactions. Maya Cakmak, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • This game started innocently with a scoreless first period.
    Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Joined by cohost Craig Melvin, the 53-year-old anchor was innocently interacting with fans at New York City's Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday when Melvin spotted a woman holding up a poster of Guthrie sporting her '90s-era black bob.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Head coach Mike McDaniel was the first to admit Sunday that the game's result wasn't solely on his quarterback.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Some perspective is needed when focusing solely on Brown’s touches.
    Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Despite fierce opposition to certain kids books by conservative activists, Maricopa County, which serves 144,000 library cardholders, received only 12 formal letters asking for reevaluation of library books and DVDs since 2021.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • After that, Alcaraz brought the hammer down with his otherwise impenetrable delivery, which was broken only three times across the tournament.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Castle, who has accused the Navy of mishandling her daughter's disappearance, said during a press conference in June that her daughter's body was left exposed for days and was not properly preserved or prepared for viewing.
    Deena Zaru, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
  • In a Canadian industry where for years doors were mostly closed to Black talent, and financing that came through when doors opened was meagre, the BSO report urges Black content creators be properly financed to build sustainable careers and businesses.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Family offices made 47 direct investments in companies, nearly flat from July's 48 , per data provided exclusively to CNBC by Fintrx.
    Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • As someone who has exclusively cleaned with bulky, corded, heavy vacuums throughout the years, commerce writer Julia Harrison explains that this cordless Dyson has changed her life.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • If just one mishap goes the other way, maybe Dallas walks away with a victory on opening night.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Start by cutting back the top growth to just a couple of inches to expose the crown of the plant.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Usually, though, it would be complemented by a transverse rear bed, because a longitudinal bed layout simply wouldn't fit behind the popular tandem bathroom compartment and front dinette.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
  • When a film delivers both scares and a great story, audiences turn out in huge numbers because there is simply no substitute for the thrill of horror on the big screen.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Splunk’s Play for the AI-Driven Enterprise Splunk no longer sees itself merely as a log analysis or monitoring company.
    Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The Jays’ offence is deep and dynamic, able to thrive despite merely good play from Guerrero.
    The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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