impure

American  

[im-pyoor] / ɪmˈpyʊər /

adjective

1. not pure; mixed with extraneous matter, especially of an inferior or contaminating nature.

   impure water and air.

2. modified by admixture, as color.

3. mixed or combined with something else.

   an impure style of architecture.

4. regarded by a religion as unclean, as animals or things.

5. not morally pure or proper; unchaste or obscene.

   impure thoughts.

   Synonyms:

   licentious, improper, vulgar, coarse

6. marked by foreign and unsuitable or objectionable elements or characteristics, as a style of art or of literary expression.

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impure British  

/ ɪmˈpjʊə /

adjective

1. not pure; combined with something else; tainted or sullied

2. 1. (of persons) ritually unclean and as such debarred from certain religious ceremonies

   2. (of foodstuffs, vessels, etc) debarred from certain religious uses

3. (of a colour) mixed with another colour or with black or white

4. of more than one origin or style, as of architecture or other design

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Other Word Forms

• impurely
  adverb
• impureness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of impure

From the Latin word impūrus, dating back to 1530–40. See im- ², pure

Explanation

Anything impure is contaminated or corrupted. Water that has sea monkeys swimming in it is impure. Don’t drink it! Drinking water that is impure requires distillation or another method or purification to get rid of pollutants like bacteria; otherwise people might get sick from consuming it. Another way to use impure is to mean "spoiled by sin" or "lacking morals." In the fifteenth century, impure mainly described "muddy" wine, from the Latin impurus, "not clean, foul."

Example Sentences

Impure fuel can create problems with a ship's engines and power generation.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2024

Impure and fluid, worldly and engaged, in many ways conceptual art was a philosophical quest: a search for a vanishing point, for the outer limits of what might constitute a work of art.

From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2016

Impure placebos, pure placebos, nocebos – it's a vast, fascinating, complex subject, encompassing physiology and psychology.

From The Guardian • Mar. 24, 2013

Impure also reveals the group strength, this time by developing from a slow tone poem via a background electronic murmur to a thrash that releases the spontaneity of all three players.

From The Guardian • Mar. 25, 2010

A practical paper may be prepared on the Local Water-Supply and the Danger to Health from Well-Water and Impure Ice.

From Woman's Club Work and Programs First Aid to Club Women by Benton, Caroline French