impurity
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being impure.
- Synonyms:
- taint, pollution, contamination
-
Often impurities. something that is or makes impure.
After the flood the authorities warned against impurities in the drinking water.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of impurity
1400–50; late Middle English impurite < Latin impūritās. See impure, -ity
Explanation
An impurity is something that ruins the uncontaminated nature of something. If someone accuses you of impurity, they think you or your nature has been spoiled in some way by sin. When water is pure, the only thing in that water is water. Add a contaminant, say salt or bleach, and you are introducing an impurity, something that turns the water impure. When used with people, the word has a religious overtone. Someone who is pure is unspoiled by sin. Think Snow White. If you convinced Snow White to rob a bank with you, you'd be spoiling her good nature with your wretched impurity.
Vocabulary lists containing impurity
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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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.
See Examples For:
Although it behaves like a single particle, this quasiparticle actually arises from the collective motion of the impurity and the particles around it.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Using a range of analytical techniques, the Heidelberg team has now shown how the mobile and nearly immobile impurity models can be unified within a single theoretical framework.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
It followed concerns in several countries that the products may contain the impurity.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
A specific lot labeled L200183 tested high in impurity and low in the inactive ingredient ascorbic acid, commonly called Vitamin C.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
Perhaps she’s the impurity in him, the static in his signal that the bullies can sense.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Tiny impurities in the water or even microscopic scratches inside a container can provide those starting points.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
In real materials, tiny imperfections such as atomic defects and impurities tend to disrupt these delicate quantum effects, making them nearly impossible to observe.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026
The manufacturing process can also introduce impurities — like bacteria or heavy metals — into peptide drugs.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
Ice masters look at the PH levels of the water and purify it to remove minerals and impurities.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
“All impurities burned out and ready for a glorious flux, and for that—more fire. And then either the slag heap or, perhaps what no one in the world ever quite gives up, perfection.”
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.
