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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 The concern isn't purely hypothetical; as cases of bird flu continue to rise among farm animals, public health experts are carefully monitoring the virus’ potential shift to spreading among people. Alice Park, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025 Any prices or levels shown are either historical or purely indicative. Katie Stockton, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2025 This will not be a purely passive experience on the audience’s part. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025 Shaping Tomorrow's Intelligence Today The shift from purely generative to more agentic AI represents a fundamental reimagining of what artificial intelligence can be. Bernard Marr, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for purely 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • If your partner’s relying solely on socks to keep their feet warm, get them these extremely soft slides.
    Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 31 Jan. 2025
  • They are required to faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability, consistent with their constitutional oath and the vesting of executive authority solely in the President.
    Jessica Botelho, Baltimore Sun, 31 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • At this point, there are likely only five teams left in the Bregman sweepstakes: the Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Between 2021 and 2024, the average attendance at commission meetings was only nine members, less than the 10-person quorum required by statute.
    Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 3 Feb. 2025
Adverb
  • Even though the bibs are fully waterproof, you’ll be properly ventilated thanks to the side vents.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2025
  • When these valves don’t close properly, blood can flow both ways instead of just upward, leading to pooling around the valves.
    Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 30 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • IndieWire shares Hinojosa’s keynote exclusively below.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025
  • The actress, 49, attended the opening night of Jackman's From New York, with Love show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Friday, Jan. 24, as seen in photos obtained exclusively by PEOPLE.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • Lately, the 80-year-old gallerist has set her sights on Isola, a neighborhood just north of the city center that has attracted design workshops, thrift stores, and art studios.
    Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Now, supermodel Bella Hadid has just served up a modern twist on the outerwear staple.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 26 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • The Met is exhibiting this painting under the title Woman before the Rising or Setting Sun—even though its lender, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany, simply calls this work Woman in Front of the Setting Sun.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Feb. 2025
  • As with a lot of this administration’s arson of the functions of the federal government, this is not something that can simply be undone at the stroke of a pen if Trump changes his mind or another president reverses course.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2025
Adverb
  • In a 41-page report, the Copyright Office also reiterated that human authorship is essential to copyright, and that merely entering text prompts into an AI system is not enough to claim authorship of the resulting output.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Volodin said merely discussing a plot to assassinate Putin was path to nuclear war and that Carlson's comments should be investigated further.
    Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near purely

Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

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