1
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed the devout girl vowed to live her life purely and in the service of God

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in solely
for nothing other than I fish purely for the fun of it—I don't care if I end up with no fish to fry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in only
nothing more than her pleasantries were purely for show and masked her true feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 purely In purely political terms, yes. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025 At a court hearing last year, lawyers for Saudi Arabia argued that the connection between the hijackers and Bayoumi and Thumairy were purely coincidental. Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025 Hydrothermal reactions, redox gradients, or purely geochemical pathways can mimic biosignatures. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025 Roussel’s arrival as CEO in 2019 has enabled her to focus purely on design and over the last few years Burch has substantially elevated her collections with better fabrics and styles that play off of classic American sportswear but with a decidedly Burchian twist. Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • The viral clip begins with the wife innocently posing for a photo at the airport near a large window overlooking a plane.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This game started innocently with a scoreless first period.
    Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • It is concerned solely with the here-and-now, preserving the peace for just one more day, and waiting for the CCP to collapse like the imperial dynasties that ruled China before.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
  • While detailing the first in-person meeting between her and Rodríguez, Pascal spoke about the specific rhetoric that trans actors sometimes come up against, which is that trans actors should connect with trans subjects based solely on identity, rather than the many other aspects of their humanity.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 15 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The remaining 16 states have chosen a more relaxed approach, with some recommending the individual school districts decide their own policies, and others, like Puerto Rico, only requiring a policy to be formed by 2026.
    Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • In his acceptance speech, Cooper revealed only started drama classes a couple of years ago and encouraged those watching to step out of their comfort zones.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Face washing allows for thorough cleansing if done properly, which allows the skin to better absorb moisturizers or treatments that may be applied afterwards.
    Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This ensures both assistive technologies and AI engines can interpret your content’s structure properly.
    Ran Ronen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Biglari’s core demands were to stop opening new stores entirely, eliminate the development team to save money, and focus exclusively on improving existing store operations rather than expansion.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
  • For generations, organizational health has been measured almost exclusively by output and production, with hiring, development and promotions tied primarily to what leaders do.
    Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The bodies of the three Decker children were discovered just days after they were reported missing by their mother on May 30.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The ship, enemy, and mecha design are also all top-notch, and just feel very ‘90s in execution.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • For the Chinese supplier faced with growing uncertainties, tapping a different market may simply be the safer bet.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • These are all totally valid and understandable concerns and can’t be dismissed as barriers to be overcome simply through top-down education and messaging.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • For ardent fans, a team’s defeat triggers the same neural pathway activated when witnessing a spouse break a leg, yet the source is merely a sports game, devoid of any actual tangible pain.
    Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This emulator can also account for how predictions will shift if parameters are merely tweaked by tiny amounts.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on purely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!