Meaning 1
The degree to which a substance is free from unwanted material.
Reach for it when reporting composition against a defined technical or practical standard
Independent testing confirmed the purity of the stored drinking water.
Meaning 2
The quality of being sincere or wholly one kind.
Reach for it when describing unmixed feeling or intent with caution
The purity of her delight was visible when the old instrument sounded again.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| warm | ||
| professional |
| |
| formal | ||
| literary |
|
everyday
cleanliness
Fits when absence of dirt or contamination in use is central
Careful Cleanliness is not a chemical measure and does not mean unmixed composition.
professional
concentration
Fits when the proportion of one component is measured
Careful High concentration can coexist with important contaminants.
professional
Fits when processing has removed unwanted material
Careful Refinement can change the substance and may not produce higher purity.
professional
uncontaminated state
Fits when freedom from a named contaminant is the exact claim
Careful The phrase is clumsy and does not cover mixtures that are intentionally pure enough.
warm
Fits when genuine feeling matters more than moral perfection
Careful Sincerity can coexist with mixed motives or mistaken beliefs.
warm
wholeness
Fits when an experience feels integrated rather than divided
Careful Wholeness concerns integration, not lack of mixture or impurity.
formal
Fits when absence of wrongdoing is the intended idea
Careful Innocence is a legal or moral claim and should not substitute for sincerity.
literary
unalloyed quality
Fits when elevated prose stresses lack of mixture
Careful The metaphor is rare and can make ordinary emotion sound artificial.
water purity
Water purity was checked at the spring and every storage tank.
high purity
The laboratory requires a high purity standard for the reference material.
purity of intent
Purity of intent cannot be assumed from a generous result alone.
degree of purity
The certificate states the degree of purity and the testing method.
Keep in mind
Purity needs a named material standard. Applied to people or cultures, purity language can stigmatize difference and should usually be replaced by a specific quality.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
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