purely

[ pyoo r-lee ]

/ ˈpyʊər li /

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.

Nearby words

pure reason, pureblood, purebred, puree, purehearted, purely, purfle, purgation, purgative, purgatoire, purgatorial

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for purely

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST

Within months, the four-year-old had made over $300,000 off of her paintings, which were purely abstract.
Blessed or Cursed? Child Prodigies Reveal All|Justin Jones|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The existing disqualifications, indeed, were upheld by little but the purely obstructive sentiment.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3)|Leslie Stephen
“It is purely a matter of breeding,” Christopher Burley replied stiffly.
The Cryptogram|William Murray Graydon
How much of Michael Angelo's time was spent in the purely mechanical part of his art?
The Woman Who Vowed|Ellison Harding
This new intellectual movement was at first purely literary, and affected merely the manner of writing novels, tales, and poems.
Russia|Donald Mackenzie Wallace
Madame Guyon taught that it was possible to love God for himself alone, purely and disinterestedly.
Classic French Course in English|William Cleaver Wilkinson

British Dictionary definitions for purely

purely

/ (ˈpjʊəlɪ) /

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