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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Rather than viewing the long wait as purely frustrating, Anderson came to see it as something that ultimately helped her.
—
Ryan Brennan
march 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026
The scale of China’s involvement in overseas ports has fueled debate over whether these investments are purely commercial or serve broader strategic goals.
—Dylan Spencer, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Plus, good garden clogs don’t have to be purely practical.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Iran's retaliation, though, has gone far beyond purely American and Israeli targets.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purely
Ryan Brennan
march 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026
The scale of China’s involvement in overseas ports has fueled debate over whether these investments are purely commercial or serve broader strategic goals.
—Dylan Spencer, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Plus, good garden clogs don’t have to be purely practical.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Iran's retaliation, though, has gone far beyond purely American and Israeli targets.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
-
The mistake begins innocently enough.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The story starts innocently enough.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
And just like in the episode, the couple's fight didn't just take place solely in the park but on the street outside their apartment as well.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 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.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Afghanistan, however, said only civilians were killed in Sunday's airstrike.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
There could only be one reason for the black curtain hanging at Gampel Pavilion ahead of Saturday’s Senior Day game against Seton Hall.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
On the other hand, there were times when Hilton did not appear to have properly taken into account the implications of his policy positions or perhaps didn’t care.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
1 Mar. 2026
-
According to Michigan law, if a minor fires the gun and inflicts harm on themselves or another individual, the person who failed to properly store the gun could face a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $7,500, or both.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In a recent Colorado example, a major municipality’s website returned 404 errors on crucial budget documents at the very time officials were asking voters to approve publishing notices exclusively on its website.—
Tim Regan-Porter,
Denver Post,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Scottish artist Tansy Lee Moir, who was treated for congenital cataracts as a child in the 1970s, draws exclusively in monochrome.—
Sachin Rawat,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Those are just some examples of how Chinese startups and tech giants are rapidly expanding worldwide, one year after DeepSeek’s AI reasoning model shocked global investors.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
-
As launch costs plummet, space is no longer just for observation but for massive infrastructure to address clean energy needs and much more.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Hardliners will race to fill the void, simply to survive.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Someone who gets deported might leave behind a wife and children — but unlike when someone simply loses their job, these families aren’t able to receive unemployment assistance, according to Garcia.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
While traditional facelifts merely tighten the skin in a superficial manner, deep-plane procedures can now reorganize the underlying structure of the face, repositioning muscles, fat pads, and ligaments in a labile system of roving features.—
Patrick R. Crowley,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Work has never been merely an economic activity.—
Klaus Schwab,
Time,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
