pure and simple

Idioms  

1. No more and no less, plainly so, as in This so-called educational video is really a game, pure and simple. This expression is very nearly redundant, since pure and simple here mean “plain” and “unadorned.” Oscar Wilde played on it in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895): “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Money, pure and simple, is a main reason.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

They lost because of their clueless campaign, pure and simple.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2024

That claim may have been accepted by some people who should know better, but it’s fakery, pure and simple.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2023

"The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple."

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2023

They had mules loaded down with things to eat, oxcarts with furniture and domestic utensils, pure and simple earthly accessories put on sale without any fuss by peddlers of everyday reality.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• authentic
• bright
• classic
• natural
• neat
• perfect
• plain
• real
• simple
• transparent
• true
• unadulterated