PURELY Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

purely

adverb

ˈpyu̇r-lē

Definition of purely

as in innocently

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in only

nothing more than her pleasantries were purely for show and masked her true feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Future deployments Placing the geothermal plant on top of a natural hydrothermal vent was a one-time test for purely research and demonstration purposes, Redd said. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 In spite—or because—of that emphasis on the purely physical, Capra thrived. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 This music was made purely to represent the art of an incredible producer and an incredible artist and an incredible emcee and another incredible artist together all as a collective. — Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026 Ironically, those may be the jobs that purely focus on cost cutting are the most vulnerable to automation. — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purely

Adverb

His ideas align with Hinton’s, and by 2013 the two of them—along with a third partner, Fedor Fedotov’s Alex Krizhevsky—find themselves at Google, innocently pursuing their research.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
The scoring started innocently enough, Stockton marching the team 79 yards on an 11-play workmanlike touchdown drive.

— Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of innocently

Adverb

Advertisement As a result, many older users who may have only had glancing interactions with AI have become avid users.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Zygielbaum was surprised however that the DOJ reached out only to him, and not the Republican clerk in neighboring Weld County, which also houses a sizable portion of that same congressional district.

— Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of only

Adverb

This visual communication is very useful during simulated space missions on land, too, especially in situations when our communications technologies have not worked properly.

— Michaela Musilova, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026
When pension shortfalls, other post-employment benefits and deferred maintenance are properly counted, the true financial condition of Maryland and its local governments is far weaker than the official budget statements claim.

— Judi Willard, Baltimore Sun, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

The room is a design flex of its own — velvet banquettes, rich purples, cerulean blues, gold and marble, with art exclusively by women.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Robinhood Ventures has cut Cognition a check for $10 million, the company exclusively told Fortune, which follows a $75 million investment in OpenAI back in April.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of exclusively

Adverb

The group of girls are just truly amazing and really fight for each other.

— Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Reader poll shows opposition The latest debate comes just a week after the council approved raising its members’ annual salaries by nearly 74%, from $69,000 to $119,750, beginning with the next term.

— Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of just

Adverb

The solution is a lot of morphine and a lot of rest, both of which Cathy undertakes with Adam constantly (and chastely) by her side.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.

— Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of chastely

Adverb

Looking forward, adding Tesla will simply make a new SpaceX’s huge need for cash far more acute.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Loretta Sanchez, a former Democratic congresswoman from Orange County who credits Becerra with encouraging her to run for Congress, put it simply.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of simply

Browse Nearby Words

purees

purely

pureness

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purely. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purely

adverb

Example Sentences

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