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
Wad, perhaps the most abundant, is a dark-brown-to-black, very soft, earthy mineral that is commonly considered an impure hydrous oxide of manganese.
—
arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
If impure quartz is used, the outside materials can hamper the effectiveness of the transistor.
—Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024
There was also the upset about Ryan, who shows her breasts—a sweetheart made impure through pulp fiction.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2024
But to pursue a state of purity—even a fictional one; even a made-up, obviously impure one—still feels righteous.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impure
arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
If impure quartz is used, the outside materials can hamper the effectiveness of the transistor.
—Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024
There was also the upset about Ryan, who shows her breasts—a sweetheart made impure through pulp fiction.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2024
But to pursue a state of purity—even a fictional one; even a made-up, obviously impure one—still feels righteous.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impure
Adjective
-
However, these arrangements were not mere shakedowns; they were anchored in strategic diplomacy and geopolitical calculus, rather than vulgar profiteering.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Her Facebook and email had been flooded with vulgar, inflammatory responses.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This represents a significant public health concern as the virus can spread to animals that consume contaminated products.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The contaminated product should be thrown away or returned for a refund.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), individuals may not block access to sidewalks or buildings, disrupt counterprotests, or engage in speech that is obscene, makes knowingly false statements of fact, or incites immediate violence or dangerous disturbances.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
-
There is absolutely nothing in libraries across the state that is obscene.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
-
However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
-
For the first quarter of this year, the company projects sales growth in the range of 4 to 6 percent and net income per diluted share in the range of $1.25 to $1.45.—
David Moin,
WWD,
5 Mar. 2025
-
For the quarter, GAAP earnings per diluted share hit $0.89, up 82% year-over-year, while non-GAAP earnings per share matched at $0.89, a 71% annual gain.—
Dan Irvine,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The fourth quarter was not without controversy: With 4:27 left in the game, Rockets guard Amen Thompson was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 against Giannis Antetokounmpo where he got caught in the air trying to contest Antetokounmpo’s shot and then pulled him down by his head.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Peavy scored 14 points before reaching the foul limit in the Jan. 11 loss to UConn.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Every Look from the 2025 Oscars Red Carpet By Vogue Based on Court of Honor, William P. Wood’s 1991 legal thriller, this Turner Network Television original movie finds Tom Selleck playing a municipal judge who pitches in to help with a government sting operation focused on nailing a dirty judge.—
Nell Beram,
Vogue,
8 Mar. 2025
-
More likely, a veteran like Hill or Ford or any number of others — guys who have played a lot and know how to get the dirty work done — could fit.—
Parker Gabriel,
The Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
-
And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Impure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impure. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share