pristine

American  

[pris-teen, pri-steen, pris-tahyn] / ˈprɪs tin, prɪˈstin, ˈprɪs taɪn /

adjective

1. having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied.

   Synonyms:

   untouched, unpolluted

2. of or relating to the earliest period or state; primitive.

---

pristine British  

/ ˈprɪstaɪn, -tiːn /

adjective

1. of or involving the earliest period, state, etc; original

2. pure; uncorrupted

3. fresh, clean, and unspoiled

   his pristine new car

---

Usage

The use of pristine to mean fresh, clean, and unspoiled is considered by some people to be incorrect

Etymology

Origin of pristine

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin pristinus “early”; akin to primus prime

Example Sentences

A dozen giddy preteens gathered at the entrance, eager to walk on the pristinely landscaped San Marino grounds.

From Los Angeles Times

All three have pristine Final Fours because they steered clear of Florida, the only No. 1 seed to lose.

From The Wall Street Journal

You wonder if its designers—the Tokyo-based firm SANAA—were mocking the pristine white box of the contemporary museum gallery.

From The Wall Street Journal

Vaccines for infectious diseases are given to healthy people and must have a pristine safety profile, Letai said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But no one expected a live demonstration, and certainly not from one of the esteemed artists featured within the museum’s pristinely pruned collection.

From Salon

Related Words

• immaculate
• intact
• natural
• snowy
• spotless
• sterile
• untouched