impure

[im-pyoor]

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.

impure

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• impurely adverb
• impureness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of impure¹

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

Example Sentences

Pigs are considered by Muslims to be impure, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo denounced the incidents as "racist acts".

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First is "us versus them" or "pure versus the impure," or those who properly "belong" in the country, and those who do not.

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Two major developments in the mid-1800s showed why impure water is dangerous.

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But instead of a barrier to keep out the impure, they are means of removing it, of excreting all that “poisons the blood,” to use Trump’s Hitlerian metaphor.

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In this case, the presumption is that most voters share Trump's repulsion for "impure" people whose gender or race falls outside rigid boundaries he has defined for them.

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