pure
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.not mixed with anything else; made of only one substance.
adj.consisting of a single substance or element; free from any different or contaminating material.
Simple“The ring is made of pure gold and is very expensive.”
In context“The laboratory required a supply of pure oxygen to ensure that no outside gases interfered with the delicate chemical reaction.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.clean, clear, and free from any marks or bad qualities.
adj.free from flaws, imperfections, or moral corruption; unsullied in character or appearance.
Simple“The mountain air was pure and fresh after the rain.”
In context“The singer's voice was noted for its pure tone, which remained clear even in the highest registers of the aria.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.complete or total; used to emphasize how strong a feeling or situation is.
adj.absolute and unqualified; used as an intensifier to emphasize the totality of a state or quality.
Simple“It was pure luck that we found the keys in the grass.”
In context“The children's faces showed pure joy when they saw the snow falling for the first time that winter.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
adj.studying something for its own sake, not for how it can be used in real life.
adj.concerned with theory and fundamental principles rather than practical applications.
Simple“She prefers pure mathematics to the kind used in engineering.”
In context“While applied physics focuses on technology, pure physics seeks to understand the fundamental laws governing the universe.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
adj.describing a function that only uses its input and does not change anything else in the program.
adj.describing a function that always returns the same output for the same input and has no observable side effects.
Simple“A pure function is easier to test because it doesn't change global variables.”
In context“Functional programming languages encourage the use of pure functions to minimize state-related bugs in complex systems.”
SynonymsidempotentAntonyms - 06 C1 Advanced
adv.very or extremely; used to make an adjective stronger.
adv.used as an intensifier meaning 'extremely' or 'totally'.
Simple“That movie was pure brilliant.”
In context“The weather was pure dead brilliant for the entire duration of our trip to the Highlands.”
Teacher's tipThis usage is particularly common in Scottish English and among younger speakers in certain urban areas of the UK.
- 07 C2 Proficiency
v.to hit a ball perfectly and cleanly in a sport like golf.
v.to strike a ball with perfect timing and contact, resulting in a clean flight.
Simple“He pured his 7-iron shot right onto the green.”
In context“The golfer managed to pure his drive despite the heavy wind, sending the ball straight down the middle of the fairway.”
SynonymsAntonymsmishit
“The study followed adults who drank 500ml of pure pasteurized orange juice every day for two months.”
“His original aim was pure scientific understanding - but as it happens, his work is also now used by a British-based company.”
From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.