Pure

/ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/ adj, adv, noun, verb, slang

adj, adv, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: One who, or that which, is pure.
  • Grammar: pure is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: unadulterated, virtuous, above suspicion, absolute.
  • Useful contrasts: adulterated, contaminated, defiled.
  • Usage evidence: We arrived at that plan out of pure desperation, but the book sold well.

How to use "pure"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pure" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pure" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pure" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pure" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "pure" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "unadulterated" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "pure", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One who, or that which, is pure. countable, uncountable

    "... the establishment of an inferior College, and the consequent connexion of the many thousands of British practitioners in medicine and surgery with a subordinate institution, and one that should be subservient to the government of the pures."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of puer (“dung (e.g. of dogs)”). alt-of, alternative, uncountable

    "[…] Dogs'-dung is called ‘Pure’, from its cleansing and purifying properties."

Verb
  1. 1
    To hit (the ball) completely cleanly and accurately.

    "Tiger Woods pured his first drive straight down the middle of the fairway."

  2. 2
    To cleanse; to refine. obsolete, transitive
Adjective
  1. 1
    Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.

    "Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records."

  2. 2
    Free of foreign material or pollutants.

    "A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy."

  3. 3
    Free of immoral behavior or qualities; clean.

    "Laye hondes sodenly on no man nether be part taker of wother mens synnes. Kepe thy silfe pure."

  4. 4
    Mere; that and that only.

    "That idea is pure madness!"

  5. 5
    Done for its own sake instead of serving another branch of science.

    "The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    Of a single, simple sound or tone; said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.
  2. 7
    Without harmonics or overtones; not harsh or discordant.
  3. 8
    Having no side effects.

    "a pure method"

  4. 9
    A lot of. slang

    "Well when ah's youngah, ah'd just light a candle rahn de dinna table play pure crazy 8s and spades vif my brotha til we lot dozed off..."

Adjective
  1. 1
    in a state of sexual virginity wordnet
  2. 2
    (of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or grey or black wordnet
  3. 3
    concerned with theory and data rather than practice; opposed to applied wordnet
  4. 4
    free from discordant qualities wordnet
  5. 5
    without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    (used of persons or behaviors) having no faults; sinless wordnet
  2. 7
    free of extraneous elements of any kind wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    to a great extent or degree; extremely; exceedingly. Scotland, not-comparable

    "You’re pure busy."

Synonyms

All synonyms
unadulteratedvirtuousabove suspicionabsoluteabsolute authorityabstract

Example

"We arrived at that plan out of pure desperation, but the book sold well."

Common questions

What does "pure" mean?

One who, or that which, is pure.

What is a synonym for "pure"?

Common synonyms include: unadulterated, virtuous, above suspicion, absolute, absolute authority, abstract.

How do you use "pure" in a sentence?

We arrived at that plan out of pure desperation, but the book sold well.

How do you pronounce "pure"?

Pronounced /ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/.

Etymology

From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).

More for "pure"

Synonyms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsBrowse writing guidesExplore topic clusters