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purely

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purely¹

  • /ˈpjʊəli/ UK
  • /ˈpjɔːli/ UK
  • /ˈpjʊɹli/ US

Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ)li, -ɔː(ɹ)li

Where it comes from

From Middle English purely, equivalent to pure + -ly.

adverb more purely · most purely

  1. US, regional Wholly; really, completely. I am fascinated by the entire scene, I purely am.

    Similar: thoroughly, totally, absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, stone-cold, blind, altogether, stark, cold, at large

  2. Solely; exclusively; merely, simply. The IRA should "lead by example" and "unilaterally" abandon paramilitary violence and adopt a purely political strategy, a leading Sinn Féin MP urged yesterday.

    Similar: alone, entirely, exclusively, expressly, merely, only, purely, solely, wholly

  3. Chastely, innocently; in a sinless manner, without fault. faith and troth, / Strain'd purely from all hollow bias drawing: / Bids thee with most diuine integritie, / From heart of very heart, great Hector welcome.

    Similar: guiltlessly, morally, sinlessly, blamelessly, cleanly, innocently, irreprehensibly, purely, unblameably, unblamefully, becomingly, chastely

  4. archaic Without physical adulterants; refinedly, with no admixture. By some means or other the water flows purely, and separated from the filth, in a deeper and narrower course on one side of the rock, and the refuse of the dirt and troubled water goes off on the other in a broader current [...].

    Similar: pristinely, unadulteratedly, undilutedly

purely²

  • /ˈpjʊəli/ UK
  • /ˈpjɔːli/ UK
  • /ˈpjʊɹli/ US

Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ)li, -ɔː(ɹ)li

Where it comes from

From pure + -ly.

adjective more purely · most purely

  1. dialectal, predicative Well, in good health. My Dame (who was an utter ſtranger to all that had paſſed between the young Squire and her daughter) was exceeding glad to ſee him look ſo purely after his journey, and all the young fry ſwarmed about him, for the ſake of the halfpence they had ſo often ſcrambled for; […]

    Similar: immaculately, perfectly, pristinely, purely, unadulteratedly, undilutedly, untaintedly, untouchedly, virginly

Opposite: impurely, pollutedly, uncleanly

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: strictly, altogether, wholly, completely, entirely, totally, utterly, fully, downright, wholeheartedly, rigorously, clearly, straightforward, perfectly, truly, genuinely

adjective

Opposite: impurely, pollutedly, uncleanly

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Españolpuramente

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MLA

"purely." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/purely. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

purely. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/purely

Chicago

"purely." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/purely.

BibTeX
@misc{purely_2026,
  title = {purely},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/purely},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}