impurity
Americannoun
-
impurities
plural
-
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:
In this model, a single impurity moves through a sea of fermions, including electrons, protons, or neutrons, while interacting with nearby particles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
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
It followed concerns in several countries that the products may contain the impurity.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
There’s a certain impurity to being an artist in the 21st century.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 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
According to Prof. Schmidt, the new theory provides a versatile way to describe quantum impurities across different spatial dimensions and a wide variety of interactions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
The manufacturing process can also introduce impurities — like bacteria or heavy metals — into peptide drugs.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
These experiments helped scientists understand how different impurities influence alloy performance.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
Novo Nordisk referenced the FDA's concerns in its lawsuit announcement on Monday, saying Hims & Hers' compounded drugs "may contain dangerous impurities or incorrect amounts of active ingredients, which can result in life-threatening immune responses".
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
"You were changed by the flower itself—I wasn't. Daoud's perfume contained impurities, so the effects were never going to be the same. Just think about it," she said as she rolled her sleeve back down.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
