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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Here are some of the best words to describe his work: simple, clean, clear, pure and, above all, elegant.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
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What’s actually the most interesting thing is to go the opposite route and go pure banal.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Our Lady was chaste, willingly, willfully passive, untainted by the grottiness of ordinary life.—
Lamorna Ash,
The Dial,
6 May 2025
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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
Adjective
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The rooms are immaculate but lifeless, albeit with a surfeit of gold leaf.—
Peter Rutland,
The Conversation,
9 May 2025
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Monica and Joey had immaculate vibes in the pods, and that bubbly energy never really went away.—
Charlotte Walsh,
Vulture,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 28 May. 2025.
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