pristine
Americanadjective
-
having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied.
- Synonyms:
- untouched, unpolluted
-
of or relating to the earliest period or state; primitive.
adjective
-
of or involving the earliest period, state, etc; original
-
pure; uncorrupted
-
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
Explanation
If something is pristine it's immaculately clean or has never been used. So please check your shoes before walking on a pristine white carpet. A long, long time ago pristine was used to describe primitive or ancient things. It wasn’t until 1899 that the word grew to mean "unspoiled" or "pure." Ecologists strive to preserve pristine rain forests, just as vacationers are always looking for a pristine strip of beach to lounge on. A new car should arrive to you in pristine condition, and hopefully you'll do your best to keep it that way.
Vocabulary lists containing pristine
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 4
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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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.
She was photographed on a pristine porch along with her immaculately groomed chow chow and French bulldog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Hayabusa2 delivered a total of 5.4 grams of pristine asteroid material.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
“These are what we call deep listening sessions,” he explained, “so when you walk in, there isn’t any music playing. We want to ensure a pristine listening environment when we’re in the hi-fi room.”
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
Simonsen said the discovery of the nurdles had made her "really sad" considering the "pristine" nature of the Wadden Sea.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Art was surprised to learn that I hadn’t ever visited her at work—that I’d never actually set foot on the university’s pristine Gothic campus before now, despite having grown up just a few miles away.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
