immaculate
Americanadjective
-
free from spot or stain; spotlessly clean.
immaculate linen.
-
free from moral blemish or impurity; pure; undefiled.
- Synonyms:
- unexceptionable, unimpeachable, blameless, irreproachable
-
free from fault or flaw; free from errors.
an immaculate text.
-
Biology. having no spots or colored marks; unicolor.
adjective
-
completely clean; extremely tidy
his clothes were immaculate
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completely flawless, etc
an immaculate rendering of the symphony
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morally pure; free from sin or corruption
-
biology of only one colour, with no spots or markings
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immaculate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin immaculātus “unspotted”; equivalent to im- 2 + maculate
Explanation
Immaculate means spotless, pure, and clean as fresh snow on a far-off mountain. Only obsessive cleaners can keep immaculate homes, but it’s a goal we can strive for, like that far-off mountain. Immaculate literally means without a spot or a stain. We can use immaculate to describe physical things, like bathrooms or kitchens. But we also use the word metaphorically to describe honor or purity — in the Catholic church, being immaculate means being "free from sin," like the Virgin Mary. Or someone with a pure, exact singing voice could be described as having immaculate pitch. If your home team plays a perfect game, you could say their performance was immaculate.
Vocabulary lists containing immaculate
Grade 9, List 4
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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All American Boys
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In this setting, he’d probably lecture the Jesuit on the evolution of papal authority and explain the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in perfect Yale Law School language.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Immaculate Heart, 5:30 p.m. at Glendale College Chino at Arlington, 3 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
And the detective told the BBC that corrective action could have been taken by Motin well before that point, because the Stena Immaculate wasn't moving.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
The trial has heard in detail how Motin was using various radar systems to track Solong's course before it hit the Stena Immaculate.
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
Singing the national anthem was relatively new at Daughters of the Immaculate Heart.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
