1. Free of extraneous elements of any kind
   "pure primary colours"; "the violin's pure and lovely song"; "pure tones"; "pure oxygen"; "pure air and water"; "pure gold"
    
2. (used of persons or behaviors) having no faults; sinless
   "I felt pure and sweet as a new baby"; "pure as the driven snow"
    
3. (of colour) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white, grey or black
   "The pure red of the sunset was breathtaking";
   - saturated
    
4. Free from discordant qualities
   "The pure tone of the tuning fork provided a perfect reference"
    
5. Concerned with theory and data rather than practice; opposed to applied
   "pure science"
    
6. In a state of sexual virginity
   "pure and vestal modesty"; "men have decreed that their women must be pure and virginal";
   - vestal, virgin, virginal, virtuous, maiden
    
7. Total or absolute (intensifier, usually emphasizing negative qualities)
   "pure folly";
   - arrant, complete, consummate, double-dyed, everlasting, gross, perfect, sodding [Brit, informal], stark, staring, thorough, thoroughgoing, utter, unadulterated, rigorous, total

Derived forms: purer, purest

See also: axenic, chaste, clean, clear, fine, fresh, harmonious, immaculate, intemerate [rare], intense, light, morality, native, plain, pristine, processed, pureness, purity, sheer, straight up, sublimate, theoretical, unadulterated, unalloyed, unclouded, uncontaminated, undefiled, unmingled, unmitigated, unmixed, unpolluted, virginal, vivid, white

Antonym: impure, unsaturated

Encyclopedia: Pure, White and Deadly