pure

[ pyoor ]

adjective

, pur·er, pur·est.

1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter:

   pure gold;

   pure water.

   Synonyms: immaculate, unstained, unalloyed, unadulterated, unmixed

2. unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.
3. of unmixed descent or ancestry:

   a pure breed of dog.

4. free from foreign or inappropriate elements:

   pure Attic Greek.

5. clear; free from blemishes:

   pure skin.

6. (of literary style) straightforward; unaffected.
7. abstract or theoretical ( applied ):

   pure science.

8. without any discordant quality; clear and true:

   pure tones in music.

9. absolute; utter; sheer:

   to sing for pure joy.

10. being that and nothing else; mere:

    a pure accident.

11. clean, spotless, or unsullied:

    pure hands.

12. untainted with evil; innocent:

    pure in heart.

    Synonyms: virtuous, modest

13. physically chaste; virgin.
14. ceremonially or ritually clean.
15. free of or without guilt; guiltless.
16. independent of sense or experience:

    pure knowledge.

17. Biology, Genetics.
    1. homozygous ( def ).
    2. containing only one characteristic for a trait.
18. Phonetics. monophthongal ( def ).

pure

/ pjʊə /

adjective

1. not mixed with any extraneous or dissimilar materials, elements, etc

   pure nitrogen

2. free from tainting or polluting matter; clean; wholesome

   pure water

3. free from moral taint or defilement

   pure love

4. prenominal (intensifier)

   pure stupidity

   a pure coincidence

5. (of a subject, etc) studied in its theoretical aspects rather than for its practical applications Compare applied

   pure mathematics

   pure science

6. (of a vowel) pronounced with more or less unvarying quality without any glide; monophthongal
7. (of a consonant) not accompanied by another consonant
8. of supposedly unmixed racial descent
9. genetics biology breeding true for one or more characteristics; homozygous
10. music
    1. (of a sound) composed of a single frequency without overtones
    2. (of intervals in the system of just intonation) mathematically accurate in respect to the ratio of one frequency to another

Derived Forms

• ˈpureness, noun

Other Words From

• pureness noun
• hyper·pure adjective
• hyper·purely adverb
• hyper·pureness noun
• super·pure adjective
• un·pure adjective
• un·purely adverb
• un·pureness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pure¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pur, from Old French, from Latin pūrus “clean, unmixed, plain, pure”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pure¹

C13: from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus unstained

Synonym Study

See clean.

Example Sentences

It’s so charmingly weird, emitting hormonal teenage boy stoner flick vibes while somehow remaining as pure as the driven snow.

From Vox

From the standpoint of pure performance, it’s also about how efficiently software uses all those transistors.

From Singularity Hub 

Desmond even garnered national media attention in May when he said the county had only had six “pure” coronavirus deaths since most who have died have underlying health conditions.

From Voice of San Diego

He’s stated publicly that only a handful of coronavirus deaths were “pure” and he wildly underrepresented the percentage of cases that result in hospitalizations.

From Voice of San Diego

Mastrolia and Mizera’s work is rooted in a branch of pure math called algebraic topology, which classifies shapes and spaces.

From Quanta Magazine

Several Republicans won primaries in 2014 by running as ideologically pure conservatives who wanted new leadership in the House.

From The Daily Beast

What designer West lacks in productivity, he more than makes up for in pure, unadulterated confidence and blind anger.

From The Daily Beast

Everything else is pure speculation and the promulgation of fear.

From The Daily Beast

Much of the drama that transpires towards the end of the story is due to the pure love itself, not in spite of it.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, Sesame Street's songs weren't only educational; from a pure tuneage perspective, the music was pretty kickass.

From The Daily Beast

Why not have sought out the pure white lime-rocks of the flat country, or the grey granite of the hills?

From Project Gutenberg

Wasn't the dead man stretched in the shadow convincing proof of their capacity for pure devilishness?

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps the nearest approach to a pure æsthetic enjoyment in these early days is the love of flowers.

From Project Gutenberg

A method of Vacuity pure and simple—the exact opposite of Mental Assimilation.

From Project Gutenberg

Mine should be of pure steel; I have ordered her out of my consciousness these last weeks at the point of the bayonet.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• authentic
• bright
• classic
• natural
• neat
• perfect
• plain
• real
• simple
• transparent
• true
• unadulterated