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Synonyms

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]

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.

Money, pure and simple, is a main reason.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

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

"Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple," Kirby said.

From Reuters • May 4, 2023

McTominay's second was a joy, pure and simple.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2023

To her way of thinking, they were a team, pure and simple, and she gave without counting the cost.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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.