impure
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- licentious, improper, vulgar, coarse
-
marked by foreign and unsuitable or objectionable elements or characteristics, as a style of art or of literary expression.
adjective
-
not pure; combined with something else; tainted or sullied
-
-
(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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing impure
im-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
im-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
im-
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Artificial and impure, and achieved by doing something only slightly resembling basketball.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Two major developments in the mid-1800s showed why impure water is dangerous.
From Salon • Jan. 27, 2025
Naidu, who was sworn in as the state’s chief minister in June, alleged that the impure laddus were distributed to devotees during Reddy’s term.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2024
Surprisingly, they found that impure ice was much less sticky than ice made from pure water under certain conditions.
From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2023
And it doesn’t matter much that his motive was impure.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
