Pure

/pjʊər/

adjectiveBeginner📊CommonGeneral
3 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

Not mixed with anything else; unadulterated.

/pjʊər/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
General

Free from any contaminating or inferior substance; not mixed with anything else.

The scientist used pure gold in the experiment.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're making lemonade. If you use only lemons, water, and sugar, that's pure lemonade! It doesn't have anything extra added.

👶 For kids: When something is pure, it's like it's all the same. Pure water doesn't have anything else in it.

More Examples

2

She had a pure heart, always wanting to help others.

How It's Used

Science

"The chemist used pure water in the experiment."

Food

"The organic farm produces pure honey."

2

Free from sin, guilt, or immoral behavior; virtuous.

/pjʊər/

adjectivepositivemedium
General

Free from moral blemish; innocent; chaste.

She lived a pure life, dedicated to helping others.

💡 Simply: Imagine someone who always tries to do the right thing, like being kind to everyone, never telling lies, and always helping others. That person has a pure heart.

👶 For kids: If you are pure, it means you are a good person and don't do anything bad.

More Examples

2

His intentions were pure, even if his methods were questionable.

How It's Used

Religion

"The priest spoke of the importance of a pure soul."

Literature

"The knight was known for his pure intentions."

Tip:Think of a pristine white dove—representing innocence.
3

Being nothing less than or other than; absolute or complete.

/pjʊər/

adjectiveneutralmedium
General

Complete; absolute; sheer.

The dog's reaction was pure delight when his owner came home.

💡 Simply: If you're really, really happy about something, that's pure happiness. If something is really and truly one thing and nothing else, it's pure.

👶 For kids: If something is pure, it means it is totally what it is. Like pure happiness is all the way happy.

More Examples

2

The view from the mountaintop was pure beauty.

How It's Used

General

"The explosion was pure chaos."

Emotion

"Her reaction was pure joy."

Tip:Imagine an intense, unadulterated emotion—pure anger or pure joy.

Idioms & expressions

pure and simple

Used to emphasize that something is exactly as stated and nothing more; straightforward.

"The reason for her success was pure and simple: hard work."

From Latin *purus* meaning 'clean, clear, unmixed'. It entered English in the 14th century.

The word 'pure' has been used for centuries to describe both physical cleanliness and moral integrity, with examples found in religious texts and philosophical writings.

Memory tip

Think of a clear, untainted stream—pure water.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"clean, clear, unmixed"

pure waterpure goldpure heartpure joypure intentionpurely motivated

Common misspellings

purpuerpuree

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written