adverb
-
in a pure manner
-
entirely
purely by chance
-
in a chaste or innocent manner
Etymology
Origin of purely
First recorded in 1250–1300, purely is from the Middle English word purliche; pure, -ly
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.
His comrades have been slowly picked off, and without human connections he has further transformed into a hunted animal, driven to elude his pursuers purely by “anger and desperation.”
"I don't agree with it because it is purely accidental. I understand the yellow card, but not the red," he said.
From BBC
Arizona's Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on X: "There is no date or timestamp associated with these images. Therefore any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative."
From BBC
“There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”
From Los Angeles Times
The initiative is intended, organizers say, to broaden the fair’s reach beyond its art world audience — positioning Frieze as a civic platform rather than a purely commercial event.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
