1
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed the devout girl vowed to live her life purely and in the service of God

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2
as in solely
for nothing other than I fish purely for the fun of it—I don't care if I end up with no fish to fry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in only
nothing more than her pleasantries were purely for show and masked her true feelings

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purely However, Princeton University ended up being targeted this week purely due to the results of its research. John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025 The study was also purely behavioral and observational; the scientists propose that the mechanism involves the motor areas and the auditory dorsal pathway, but that remains a theory until brain imaging can support the findings. New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2025 The Evo uses the same type of film for prints but is fundamentally a different experience in use and doesn't have the same purely analog character as the Mini 41. PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025 The next few years could see a resurgence of domestic manufacturing and an increase in local investments, but those predictions are purely speculative. John Ganem, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for purely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely
Adverb
  • Diversify This idea is very similar to freelancing, but takes it a step further: why not diversify your skill set and your revenue streams instead of depending solely on one or even two sources (your job and your freelance business)?
    Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Ignoring these threats and relying solely on existing norms for protection is not an effective countermeasure.
    Andrew Hanna, Time, 13 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • This deeper level of engagement not only informs new office designs but can increases employees’ sense of ownership of it.
    Ryan Anderson, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • The use of the legislative fund needs approval only from legislative leaders.
    Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA was not done properly.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But division one has to properly fund division two.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Although the first orbiting data centers will exclusively crunch data collected in space, some technologists think that power-hungry computing infrastructure would in the future do better in space, where solar power is constant and cooling is easy.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The actor, who played Ben Wyatt on the NBC series that aired for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015, exclusively told PEOPLE at Apple TV+’s A Mysterious and Important Invite on Behalf of Severance event on April 5 about one of his favorite moments from the sitcom.
    Arabella Hau, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • The Heat has now lost 10 straight games for just the eighth time in the franchise’s 37 seasons.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
  • That's just the beginning of Natalia's story, though.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Adverb
  • In other words, if the economy is in a recession or sliding into one, the Fed presumably will lower rates but not if inflation has spiked and the economy is simply losing steam.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Whether this season was simply a speed bump on their way to getting there or a concerning indication of things to come will be revealed soon.
    Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Rather than merely illustrating corporate omnipotence, Vara exposes the fragility of the technology itself: a nonhuman force that still depends on humanity—and is unable to encompass it.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The banking industry strongly opposed the Biden rule, which would cap overdraft fees at just $5 for banks and financial institutions with more than $10 billion in assets unless the institutions opt for a fee that merely covers their own costs or treat the overdraft payment as a loan.
    Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 9 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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