purification
Americannoun
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purifications
plural
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the act or process of making something pure and free of any contaminating, debasing, or foreign elements.
We fund groundbreaking development projects like water purification and clean cookstove technology.
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the act of making something free of guilt or evil.
Purification of the soul brings freedom from hatred, selfishness, and greed.
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the act or process of making something clean and fit for ceremonial or ritual use.
At this early Shinto temple, the ceremonies consisted chiefly of ritual cleansings and purifications.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of purification
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin pūrificātiōn-, stem of pūrificātiō “ritual cleansing”; see purify ( def. ), -ation ( def. )
Explanation
Purification is the removal of impure elements from something. After purification, water is safe to drink. Most cities have a system of water purification, so people get clean fresh drinking water without any parasites or goldfish in it. Purification is when things are cleaned and made pure. Salt water must undergo purification before it's safe to drink. Some filters do a purification of the air to reduce allergens. In some religions, purification is the removal of sin, which is another type of cleansing. For example, sumo wrestlers throw salt in the ring for purification, as part of the tradition of the Shinto religion.
Vocabulary lists containing purification
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 26–December 2, 2022
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Unit 5, Week 3
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"The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century," Vocabulary from Chapter 16
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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.
See Examples For:
She noted that over 90% of homes lack such purification systems.
From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026
Large jugs are commonly filled at local purification facilities or neighborhood refill stations, where the water is treated, sealed and delivered to homes and businesses.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
New fabs under India’s industrial policies will need modern water purification and recycling.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025
She played a significant role in the identification and purification of the active form of GLP-1 in the mid-1980s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Wagner provided his cult with the solemn act of devotion, purification and veneration that is Parsifal.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
One is an assay that would bypass laborious cell purifications and manipulations by detecting activated T cells in blood samples squirted into tubes premixed with bits of SARS-CoV-2 proteins.
From Scientific American ● May 19, 2022
He pacified his conscience by promising himself a compensatingly harder self-discipline, purifications the more complete and thorough.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
On the other hand, the priests do not possess the exclusive right to perform purifications.
From The History of Antiquity Vol. V. by Duncker, Max
Moses came with various laws relating to washings and purifications, but they were only cleansings of the body or of the flesh and had daily to be repeated.
From Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost by Lenker, John Nicholas
On the other hand, when the Cadi had performed the necessary purifications, and was dressed, his slaves looked for his lordship's slippers in vain.
From Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers by Valentine, L. (Laura)
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.
