purely

[pyoo r-lee]

See more synonyms for purely on Thesaurus.com

adverb

in a pure manner; without admixture.
merely; only; solely: purely accidental.
entirely; completely.

innocently, virtuously, or chastely.

Origin of purely

First recorded in 1250–1300, purely is from the Middle English word purliche. See pure, -ly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for purely

Contemporary Examples

The Samaritan guidelines are written around the assumption that suicide is a purely irrational act, an act spurred by illness.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism
Arthur Chu
January 3, 2015
Purely by chance, Anna Coren had landed in Sydney just as the chocolate shop siege began.
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star
Lloyd Grove
December 16, 2014
For starters, from a purely practical, all-hands-on-deck position, I say if you can do the job, you should keep the job.
Justice Ginsburg Shouldn’t Quit Just Yet
Kevin Bleyer
December 1, 2014
Roughly half of black Protestants and white Evangelicals believe that creation is purely for human benefit.
Extreme Weather? Blame the End Times
Jay Michaelson
November 28, 2014
“Of course he has no answer he is purely speculating,” Allen said.
Florida Cops on What Ferguson Can Learn From Trayvon
Chris Francescani
November 20, 2014

Historical Examples

The movements in Copper and Cordage Trust stocks are purely speculative.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
His love was purely selfish, for he brushed aside her protest as if she had not spoken.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Indeed the whole situation was regarded as purely temporary.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
The use of purely local terms in all writing is to be deprecated.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
I like better to recall the purely physical side of our journey.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for purely

purely

adverb

in a pure manner
entirelypurely by chance
in a chaste or innocent manner

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for purely

adv.

late 13c., from pure + -ly (2).

purely

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}purely

Examples from the Web for purely

Contemporary Examples

The Samaritan guidelines are written around the assumption that suicide is a purely irrational act, an act spurred by illness.

Purely by chance, Anna Coren had landed in Sydney just as the chocolate shop siege began.

For starters, from a purely practical, all-hands-on-deck position, I say if you can do the job, you should keep the job.

Roughly half of black Protestants and white Evangelicals believe that creation is purely for human benefit.

“Of course he has no answer he is purely speculating,” Allen said.

Historical Examples

The movements in Copper and Cordage Trust stocks are purely speculative.

His love was purely selfish, for he brushed aside her protest as if she had not spoken.

Indeed the whole situation was regarded as purely temporary.

The use of purely local terms in all writing is to be deprecated.

I like better to recall the purely physical side of our journey.

purely

Word Origin and History for purely

adv.

Origin of purely