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 just so pure and sweet and needed.”

From Los Angeles Times

And how could anyone resist letting go of pesky inhibitions with Herman’s empowering score filling up Pasadena Playhouse with pure effervescence.

From Los Angeles Times

Lysenko benefited from Stalin’s suspicion of and hostility toward scientific experts, whom his henchmen denigrated as “enemies of the people” for their defense of “pure science for the sake of science.”

From Los Angeles Times

I think he and his fans know that my intentions are pure with the character, and it’s also made him popular in a space that he otherwise might not be in.

From Los Angeles Times

McCoy said he is disgusted by Christians saying they “don’t do politics because politics is dirty, as though the rest of the world and they themselves are pure.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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