as in pure
free from any trace of the coarse or indecent
a schoolteacher who dresses with almost vestal modesty while on the job
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Recent Examples of vestal
These vestal get-ups are, in fact, the latest in a long line of subversive pop culture interpretations of the lives (and loves) of nuns.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
There were papal cloaks styled as trench coats, and vestal robes turned into coveralls, but with a solemn finish that showed respect for both the clothes and the creative congregation that wants to wear them.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Sep. 2022
Souza sets out to reacquaint us with that vanished world, where norms obtained and men were men and words had meaning—where the sun rose on the shrines of our ancestors and six virgins ceaselessly guarded the vestal flame.
—Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, 3 Aug. 2017
Leah Dolan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
There were papal cloaks styled as trench coats, and vestal robes turned into coveralls, but with a solemn finish that showed respect for both the clothes and the creative congregation that wants to wear them.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Sep. 2022
Souza sets out to reacquaint us with that vanished world, where norms obtained and men were men and words had meaning—where the sun rose on the shrines of our ancestors and six virgins ceaselessly guarded the vestal flame.
—Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, 3 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vestal
Adjective
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Other video motifs include UFOs, idyllic green pastures, and vigorous exhortations to drink only the purest, rawest milk.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The spacesuits used for spacewalks are filled with oxygen and the astronauts breathe in pure oxygen for several hours to get rid of nitrogen in their bodies.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some medieval and Renaissance artists, for example, portrayed Mary breast-feeding the infant Jesus at a chaste distance, such that the milk spurts of its own accord into his mouth.—
S. C. Cornell,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
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Hellbent on destroying the pure, chaste and overly self-righteous preacher who denied her satisfaction, Salome performs a seductive dance at her stepfather Herod’s birthday feast.—
E.R. Zarevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In early April, for instance, she was spotted in an immaculate white suit with a double-breasted blazer, gold jewelry, a hint of cleavage, and sharply tailored dress pants.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The historic center, where the palace and government buildings lie between massive castles built by the Portuguese, hugs an immaculate harbor ringed by buildings that look like a set from a fantasy film.—
Chris Wallace,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The clean, bright walls along with colorful rugs and hardwood floors can seem impossible for people living in apartments.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2023
-
At the end of the dredging, sediment that’s not placed on the beach could be left in the pit and covered with a layer of clean sand.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Vestal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vestal. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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