purifying 1 of 2

adjective

as in cleansing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

purifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of purify
1
as in purging
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially Catholics go to confession to be purified

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from purify the water by distillation

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 purifying
Verb
Pure Copper Charm, which comes in two adorable shapes, a heart or star, is a natural antimicrobial and releases purifying trace copper ions into vase water. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026 Potential applications include purifying pyrolysis oil produced from waste plastics, recovering industrial solvents used in battery manufacturing, pharmaceutical purification, and biofuel production. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026 The Dyson Purifier Cool Gen1 TP10 is another HEPA purifying tower fan featuring 350-degree oscillation, 10 fan modes, and Air Multiplier Technology. — Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 23 June 2026 Local residents were urged to limit their exposure by remaining indoors with their windows and doors closed and advised to run air conditioning or air purifying units, where possible. — Adela Suliman, NBC news, 22 June 2026 Charcoal lends an extra purifying boost, while hydrolyzed keratin smooths frizz and softens hair after cleansing. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 19 June 2026 In place of purifying catharsis, tragicomedy traffics in unresolved tension. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 SacSewer does not charge or gain revenue from water treatment, which involves purifying raw environmental water into safe drinking water. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 Next is purifying and hydrating with the Body Wash, which moisturizes and plumps skin while deeply cleansing pores, strengthening the skin barrier and triggering cellular regeneration. — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purifying
  1. cleansing
  2. purging
  3. filtering
  4. cathartic
  5. clarifying
  6. purificatory
  7. refining
  8. moving
Adjective
  • The in-shower treatment is meant to be used post-cleansing; simply massage it into wet hair and rinse it out two-to-three times a week.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 24 June 2026
  • To use the bestseller, distribute three pumps over the face and neck daily, post-cleansing, and start savoring its impressive effects after a couple of months of consistent application.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Dec. 2025
Definition of cleansing
Verb
  • Add things like purging closets and cleaning windows to your calendar on a regular basis, rather than having one big cleaning spree every spring.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
  • When purging categories was proposed during that period, it was met with fierce resistance from the Writers branch, as well as WGA.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 July 2026
Definition of purging
Verb
  • As returns began filtering in from the western part of the district, which Reagan was winning handily, the ballot trend also was toward other Republican candidates.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional sewage treatment is capable of filtering up to 99% of microfibers and other microplastics flushed from homes and businesses, other studies have found.
    — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of filtering
Adjective
  • Shortly thereafter, once Bunker came his way, the opportunity to depict a man who’s drastically turning his life around became a fittingly cathartic parallel to Pelphrey’s own recovery journey.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In a time of increasingly frictionless digital consumption, there’s something cathartic about the raw experience of guitar music, as compared with the precise beats of electronic music.
    — Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of cathartic
Verb
  • Ask a clarifying question, keep your response simple, and save the deeper processing for a space that actually feels safe.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • David Krumholtz is clarifying his comments on stepping back from acting.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of clarifying
Adjective
  • Many stepwells were used for ablution; the tanks associated with mosques, Hindu temples and other shrines offered the most purificatory form. Summoning water from the depths was also a symbol of temporal power.
    — The Economist, The Economist, 13 July 2019
Definition of purificatory
Verb
  • Before Broadway, Parton was hard at work, producers said, refining the musical after its out-of-town tryout in order to give audiences a deeper look at her life than ever before.
    — Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Voit’s emphasis this season has been on refining his eye at the plate, on understanding the difference between looking for a pitch and looking for his pitch.
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of refining
Adjective
  • Thomas Edison received a patent for his Kinetograph moving-picture camera.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
  • One of Bourdain’s most moving reflections on fatherhood came in a 2013 essay for The Guardian.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of moving

Browse Nearby Words

purify
purifying
purist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purifying. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All