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Pure

adj. calm, kind professional

What it means

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.

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.

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.

Words to choose between 10

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2Meaning 3
playful
  • Pure (this word)
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: Free from unwanted contamination or dilution.

  • everyday

    clean

    Fits when freedom from dirt or pollution is the practical claim

    Careful Clean is not a chemical purity measurement and varies by purpose.

  • professional

    refined

    Fits when processing removes unwanted material

    Careful Refining can introduce additives and does not guarantee purity.

  • professional

    uncontaminated

    Fits when absence of a harmful foreign substance is verified

    Careful It does not mean chemically unmixed or safe in every respect.

  • formal

    unmixed

    Fits when only one substance or type is present

    Careful An unmixed substance can still contain contamination at a finer level.

Meaning 2: Sincere and free from a conflicting or harmful intention.

  • warm

    sincere

    Fits when absence of pretense is the defensible claim

    Careful Sincerity does not prove that a motive is harmless or unmixed.

  • warm

    unselfish

    Fits when another person's welfare clearly outweighs personal gain

    Careful Mixed benefits do not necessarily make an action impure.

  • formal

    innocent

    Fits when absence of harmful intent or wrongdoing is established

    Careful Innocent is a legal or moral judgment and can infantilize an adult.

Meaning 3: Complete or absolute in kind.

  • formal

    absolute

    Fits when no qualification remains

    Careful Absolute is too strong when the experience contains any mixture.

  • literary

    sheer

    Fits when complete degree needs emphatic force

    Careful Sheer can sound dramatic and also has unrelated meanings.

  • literary

    unalloyed

    Fits when a feeling is wholly one kind

    Careful The metal metaphor is rare and overly elevated for ordinary joy.

Opposites 5

  • contaminated
  • insincere
  • mixed
  • adulterated
  • hypocritical

Common phrases 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.

Word family 1

Usage notes

Keep in mind

Purity claims require a named standard for substances. Moral purity language can erase mixed motives, pressure conformity, or turn disagreement into contamination.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated