purity

American  

[pyoor-i-tee] / ˈpyʊər ɪ ti /

noun

1. the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc..

   the purity of drinking water.

2. freedom from any admixture or modifying addition.

3. ceremonial or ritual cleanness.

4. freedom from guilt or evil; innocence.

5. physical chastity; virginity.

6. freedom from foreign or inappropriate elements; careful correctness.

   purity of expression.

7. Optics. the chroma, saturation, or degree of freedom from white of a given color.

8. cleanness or spotlessness, as of garments.

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purity British  

/ ˈpjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being pure

2. physics a measure of the amount of a single-frequency colour in a mixture of spectral and achromatic colours

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Other Word Forms

• hyperpurity noun
• superpurity noun

Etymology

Origin of purity

1175–1225; < Late Latin pūritās ( pure, -ity ); replacing Middle English pur ( e ) te < Anglo-French < Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences

"The alternative is really not purity, but irrelevance," he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

It's all this stuff that Verstappen hates, because it takes away from the purity of driving flat out - braking as late as possible, accelerating as soon as possible, to generate lap time.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

I think the success of that dress is that you see her and her happiness and the purity of it all.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

After then, it would limit enrichment to purity levels of 1.5 percent and allow international inspectors to verify the pledge.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

I was in love with the innocence of dogs, the purity of their affection.

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Related Words

• cleanliness