impure

[ im-pyoor ]

/ ɪmˈpyʊər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impure ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not pure; mixed with extraneous matter, especially of an inferior or contaminating nature: impure water and air.

modified by admixture, as color.

mixed or combined with something else: an impure style of architecture.

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

not morally pure or proper; unchaste or obscene: impure thoughts.

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

Nearby words

Origin of impure

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

SYNONYMS FOR impure

5. coarse, vulgar, improper, licentious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impure ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsim·pure·ly, adverbim·pure·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impure

You feel guilty if you eat foods you believe to be “impure.”
Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession|DailyBurn|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much of this has been pure, or more accurately, impure, political theater.
Eric Holder’s Legacy: Bold on Equality, Less So on Civil Liberties|Geoffrey R. Stone|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But really, how impure is the desire to garner professional respect and reap enough cash to pay rent and keep making work?
The Myth of the Tortured Artist|Shane McAdams|January 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When she refused, the men shouted she was “impure,” and began reciting prayers and screaming at her.
What Should the Ultra-Orthodox Do About Gender Equality on Israeli Buses?|David Frum|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In his latest at National Review Online, Goldberg dismisses the idea of an "impure GOP" as a silly wives' tale.
Defining the Echo Chamber|Justin Green|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The crime of the inhabitants of these impure "kips," was having spoken ill of Milady, their rival.
Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. I (of III)|C. F. Lachelles Wraxall
Fall on your face nine times, ye esoteric of only Impure Science!
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XI. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
Impure water is a common source of the contamination of milk in such places.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
An impure salt is made widely in North Africa, from wood-ashes.
The Art of Travel|Francis Galton
On the contrary, one will soon be convinced that sal-ammoniacus was nothing else than impure marine salt.
A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins, Volume II (of 2)|Johann Beckman

British Dictionary definitions for impure

impure

/ (ɪmˈpjʊə) /

adjective

not pure; combined with something else; tainted or sullied

(in certain religions)

(of persons) ritually unclean and as such debarred from certain religious ceremonies
(of foodstuffs, vessels, etc) debarred from certain religious uses

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

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

Derived Formsimpurely, adverbimpureness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for impure

impure

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French impur (13c.), from Latin impurus "unclean, filthy, foul," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + purus "pure" (see pure). As a noun from 1784. Related: Impurely.

impure

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of impure

Examples from the Web for impure

impure

adjective

impure