Pure
adj.calm, kindprofessional
Meaning 1
Free from unwanted contamination or dilution.
Reach for it when describing a substance whose composition meets a stated standard
The spring supplied pure water after the damaged pipe was replaced.
Choose between these
4- everyday
when freedom from dirt or pollution is the practical claim
not when Clean is not a chemical purity measurement and varies by purpose.
- professional
when processing removes unwanted material
not when Refining can introduce additives and does not guarantee purity.
- professional
when absence of a harmful foreign substance is verified
not when It does not mean chemically unmixed or safe in every respect.
- formal
unmixed
when only one substance or type is present
not when An unmixed substance can still contain contamination at a finer level.
Meaning 2
Sincere and free from a conflicting or harmful intention.
Reach for it when describing a motive cautiously when conduct supports the inference
Her offer came from a pure wish to see the children safe.
Choose between these
3- warm
when absence of pretense is the defensible claim
not when Sincerity does not prove that a motive is harmless or unmixed.
- warm
when another person's welfare clearly outweighs personal gain
not when Mixed benefits do not necessarily make an action impure.
- formal
when absence of harmful intent or wrongdoing is established
not when Innocent is a legal or moral judgment and can infantilize an adult.
Meaning 3
Complete or absolute in kind.
Reach for it when intensifying a quality when no mixture or qualification is intended
Finding the missing score in the archive was pure delight.
Choose between these
3- formal
absolute
when no qualification remains
not when Absolute is too strong when the experience contains any mixture.
- literary
sheer
when complete degree needs emphatic force
not when Sheer can sound dramatic and also has unrelated meanings.
- literary
when a feeling is wholly one kind
not when The metal metaphor is rare and overly elevated for ordinary joy.
Said against
5- contaminated
- insincere
- mixed
- adulterated
- hypocritical
It naturally appears in
5- pure water
Pure water still requires safe storage after testing.
- pure intention
A claimed pure intention does not cancel the need to examine impact.
- pure joy
The children's first view of the finished playground was pure joy.
- pure substance
The reference vial contains a pure substance certified for calibration.
- pure chance
Pure chance placed the missing photograph in the correct box.
The word family
1Where this comes from
Purity claims require a named standard for substances. Moral purity language can erase mixed motives, pressure conformity, or turn disagreement into contamination.
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: not mixed with impurities opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: free from moral fault or mixed motive opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: complete or sheer opens in a new tab for meaning 3 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.