as in cleansing
the act or fact of freeing from sin or moral guilt
some people must undergo a ritual purification after certain activities
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Recent Examples of purification
The Japanese people, descendants of a cruel empire, were especially in need of repentance and purification.
—
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Chemical-purification tabs will work—but a lot slower than other methods.
—Kaelyn Lynch, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
The church will also distribute water purification tablets and storage containers, pots and cooking utensils, sheets and blankets, solar lanterns for lighting during outages and other essentials.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
At the purification basin, visitors can use ladles of water to symbolically cleanse themselves and even their money.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purification
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Chemical-purification tabs will work—but a lot slower than other methods.
—Kaelyn Lynch, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
The church will also distribute water purification tablets and storage containers, pots and cooking utensils, sheets and blankets, solar lanterns for lighting during outages and other essentials.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
At the purification basin, visitors can use ladles of water to symbolically cleanse themselves and even their money.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purification
Noun
-
Eid al-Fitr is a joyous time of renewal spent with friends and family after the month of spiritual cleansing, self-restraint and contemplation.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Mid-lengths and ends still need cleansing, but indirectly.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
These are not stories of salvation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Yasmin, who was ousted from Pierpoint after a tabloid scandal involving her publishing-magnate father threatened to sully the bank by association, has turned to another undependable man for salvation, proposing to an aristocratic failson called Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington).—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purification. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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