26984 words

pure

13 definitions • 25 examples
1
not mixed with anything else:

Examples:

a pure cotton shirt
pure orange juice
pure English honey
a pure Arab horse
2
A pure colour is not mixed with any other colour:

Examples:

a swan's pure white plumage
3
A pure sound is clear and perfect:

Examples:

the pure vocal tones of the choirboy
4
clean and free from harmful substances:

Examples:

The mountain air was wonderfully pure.
Tap water is never chemically pure.
5
complete; only:

Examples:

It was pure coincidence/chance that we met.
This last month has been pure hell.
Her face had a look of pure delight.
6
used to refer to an area of study that is studied only for the purpose of developing theories about it, not for the purpose of using those theories in a practical way:

Examples:

7
used after a noun to mean "and nothing else":

Examples:

He is motivated by greed, pure and simple.
8
behaving in a way that is morally good, especially in things related to sex:

Examples:

I'm trying to think only pure thoughts.
He invited me up to his flat for coffee, but I didn't think that his motives were entirely pure.
In many cultures, it is considered important for a woman to keep herself pure (= not to have sex) until she marries.
9
not mixed with anything else:

Examples:

The scarf is pure silk.
It was a moment of pure joy.
The mountain air was fresh and pure (= not polluted).
10
morally good, or relating to someone’s inner character:

Examples:

His motives were pure, but his approach was tactless.
11
complete; only:

Examples:

Getting the job was pure luck.
12
the quality or state of not being mixed with anything else:

Examples:

The purity of the city’s water is checked regularly at its reservoirs.
13
the quality of having good morals and a good character:

Examples:

purity of heart

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