1
as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
be careful, because impure motor oil can damage your car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vulgar
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
Victorian notions of what qualified as impure art now strike us as laughable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impure
France has Europe’s largest population of Muslims, over 6 million, for whom pigs are considered impure.
—
Reuters, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Curtain calls In 1900, more than 6,000 people in England were poisoned by beer that had been brewed using impure sulfuric acid containing arsenic.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
This method combines impure raw silicon with pure aluminum, lowering the melting temperature compared to conventional polysilicon production.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
The trash is heated to break it into crude, impure syngas, which is then zapped with plasma torches to further refine it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2011
See All Example Sentences for impure
Reuters, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Curtain calls In 1900, more than 6,000 people in England were poisoned by beer that had been brewed using impure sulfuric acid containing arsenic.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
This method combines impure raw silicon with pure aluminum, lowering the melting temperature compared to conventional polysilicon production.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
The trash is heated to break it into crude, impure syngas, which is then zapped with plasma torches to further refine it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2011
See All Example Sentences for impure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impure
Adjective
-
State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Doncic claimed Bitadze directed a vulgar comment about Doncic’s family in Serbian toward the Lakers star guard.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Swimming in contaminated water can lead to gastroenteritis that appears up to 12 days later, or other types of infections or illnesses.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Crews spent hours after the fire was out taking inventory and clearing out contaminated equipment.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The legislation would require social media platforms to estimate the age of users and exclude obscene content to children 16 years old or younger.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The use of obscene or indecent clothing or signs will result in expulsion.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Adjective
-
Brazil requires supervision and restricts the infinite scroll A Brazilian law that seeks to shield minors from addictive, violent and pornographic online content took effect this month, with experts calling it a milestone in the protection of children and adolescents.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
More than 100 students and parents from Lancaster Country Day School were in court to hear victims describe the shock of having to identify their own faces in pornographic photos to detectives.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Spray the area with the diluted vinegar and water mixture, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth to remove any residue.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In total, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and, at the time of the AI company’s restructuring in October, disclosed that its 27% diluted stake in the for-profit part of the organization was valued at $135 billion.—
Lora Kolodny,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sparkplug Jaden Bradley got his fourth foul 94 seconds into the second half and finished with 13 points, most in extended garbage time.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Jokic cut it back to two by drawing a foul 32 seconds left.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impure. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
