impure

[im-pyoor]

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.

Origin of impure

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

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

Synonyms for impure

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impure ON THESAURUS.COM

5. coarse, vulgar, improper, licentious.

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

Related Words for impure

unclean, adulterated, carnal, coarse, common, corrupt, debased, defiled, diluted, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, grubby, immodest, immoral, indecent, lewd, nasty, obscene

Examples from the Web for impure

Contemporary Examples of impure

You feel guilty if you eat foods you believe to be “impure.”
Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession
DailyBurn
October 25, 2014
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of impure

We should keep our heart free from impure thoughts and desires.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
If water is impure, it must be boiled and then aerated before it is drunk.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various
For him was that child of whom the poet speaks, impure, through and through impure.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
Any of these elements lacking, and the life is wanting, defective, impure.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
It is true we are able to think of his laws in an impure way, but that is our fault, not his.
Almost A Man
Mary Wood-Allen

British Dictionary definitions for impure

impure

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

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.