adverb
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in a pure manner
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entirely
purely by chance
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in a chaste or innocent manner
Etymology
Origin of purely
First recorded in 1250–1300, purely is from the Middle English word purliche; see pure, -ly
Explanation
Anything described as purely is consistent or restricted in some way. Kids often think of their teachers purely as teachers and can’t imagine them outside the classroom. So they get purely confused when they see a teacher at the store. Something pure is made up of only one thing, like a pure gold ring. When anything is described as purely occurring or existing, it is similarly strict. A purely business-related letter is only business. A purely platonic friendship is not romantic at all. A purely bred dog has been bred only with dogs of the same breed. Someone who wants a dog purely for the sake of companionship will not bother with a purely bred dog.
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.
The most purely physical effect in the film is the vessel Odysseus and his crew use in their ill-fated attempt to get home as soon as possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"We tested several ideas, including purely Newtonian effects and precession driven by the magnetar's magnetic fields, but only Lense-Thirring precession matched the timing perfectly," Farah said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Farage has said Harborne gave him the money to pay for his personal security, adding that the gift was "purely private" and "wasn't political in any sense at all".
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Previously, the company had to justify AI investments purely through internal operations, whereas rivals could point to their cloud-computing divisions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
She tried to focus on how much she was helping them, as if this were a charitable deed, purely altruistic: like volunteering at a soup kitchen, or adopting a dog from a shelter.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
