pristine
adjective
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When pristine was anglicized in the 16th century, people borrowed the meanings of "early" and "original" from the Latin word pristinus and applied those meanings to what is desirable as well as to what is not. But it has long been a tendency of civilized people to admire a simpler and unsullied past. The supposition is that when things were in their oldest or original state, they were better. Thus, pristine was extended to describe the notion of an unspoiled, uncorrupted, or unpolluted state. And what is unspoiled or uncontaminated may connote the freshness and cleanness of something that has just been made, which explains how pristine has also come to mean "fresh and clean."
Examples of pristine in a Sentence
Jd Shadel, Them., 21 Apr. 2025
Pull up the dinghy to The Ranch Escapade, where pristine white sand invites visitors to while away the day with ice-cold drinks and simple, savory Caribbean fare.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2025
Its 66 miles of pristine coastline shelter the rare Kemp's ridley sea turtle and more than 380 bird species, while offering its human visitors ample opportunities for walking, swimming, and birdwatching.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2025
Together these missions have let planetary scientists like me study pristine, fragile carbonaceous material from asteroids.
—Patrick M. Shober, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pristine
Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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pristine
adjective
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