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
At times, the singers stand inside a great pipe, a conical segment that hangs above the stage and opens toward the audience like the mouth of a giant megaphone, giving voices a purely acoustical lift.
—
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
But Chalamet’s comments—even the rude one about the 14 cents—were purely in regard to economics.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
What rubs us the wrong way is the suggestion that this proposal is purely about sustainability.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Their fandom isn’t purely polite.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purely
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
But Chalamet’s comments—even the rude one about the 14 cents—were purely in regard to economics.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
What rubs us the wrong way is the suggestion that this proposal is purely about sustainability.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Their fandom isn’t purely polite.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
-
Bethenny Frankel was innocently applying a roller on her face to help with inflammation on Thursday on Instagram.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The mistake begins innocently enough.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Earlier this month, Austin police released a new policy that essentially bans officers from detaining or arresting someone solely based on the presence of an immigration warrant, but does not prevent them from calling the federal agency.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 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,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Jamal Murray fouled out with only five points early in overtime, bringing an early end to his worst game of the season.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Tritons finished with a 39-34 edge in rebounds and forced Hawaii into 19 turnovers while making 11 steals and turning the ball over only seven times.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
According to the complaint, the historically Black university failed to maintain adequate security and did not properly respond to warnings about potential violence.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The screen installed on the door was not properly constructed to prevent pest entry, as the mesh openings were excessively large.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But that comparison is only valid if exclusively comparing regular unleaded gas and Level 3 fast chargers, which most EV drivers rarely use except for longer trips like this one.—
Adam L. Neal,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Among the major minefields for Shell in the breach of contract complaint from Cipriani, which Deadline exclusively reported on last month as a draft copy was circulating, are allegations that the Paramount president had loose lips and media insecurities.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
What about Tyler Conklin, whose previous annual average value, per Sportac, was just about $3 million?—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
-
That’s why an X-ray telescope that would be superior in those regards has so much discovery potential just awaiting it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
May the music of life carry on Zhang Qiyu, director of the Weixin County Cultural Relics Management Department, told Global Times that the team discovered that the initial purpose of the drum wasn’t to simply make music, but to support ceremonies and even carry the dead to the next life.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Service simply cannot be faulted in terms of friendliness and sweetness, though efficiency is perhaps another matter.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Dallas used the franchise tag to keep receiver George Pickens from becoming an unrestricted free agent, but that’s merely a Band-Aid.—
Omar Kelly
March 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Saturday evening, the NYPD was still investigating if the devices were merely smoke bombs or actual explosive that didn’t ignite, Tisch said.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
