IMPURE

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does impure mean? 

• IMPURE (adjective)
  The adjective IMPURE has 3 senses:

1. combined with extraneous elements

2. (used of persons or behaviors) immoral or obscene

3. having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws

  Familiarity information: IMPURE used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMPURE (adjective)

Comparative: impurer   
Superlative: impurest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Combined with extraneous elements

Similar:

unpurified (not made pure)

technical-grade; technical grade (containing small amounts of other chemicals, hence slightly impure)

adulterate; adulterated; debased (mixed with impurities)

alloyed ((used of metals) debased by mixture with an inferior element)

bastardised; bastardized (deriving from more than one source or style)

contaminated; polluted (rendered unwholesome by contaminants and pollution)

dingy; dirty; muddied; muddy ((of color) discolored by impurities; not bright and clear)

Also:

unprocessed (not altered from an original or natural state)

impure; unclean (having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws)

Attribute:

pureness; purity (being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material)

Antonym:

pure (free of extraneous elements of any kind)

Derivation:

impureness (the condition of being impure)

impurity (worthless or dangerous material that should be removed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(used of persons or behaviors) immoral or obscene

Context example:

impure thoughts

Similar:

defiled; maculate (morally blemished; stained or impure)

Also:

unchaste (not chaste)

Attribute:

morality (concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong; right or good conduct)

Antonym:

pure ((used of persons or behaviors) having no faults; sinless)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws

Synonyms:

impure; unclean

Context example:

and the swine...is unclean to you

Similar:

nonkosher; terefah; tref (not conforming to dietary laws)

untouchable ((especially used in traditional Hindu belief of the lowest caste or castes) defiling)

Also:

impure (combined with extraneous elements)

Domain category:

faith; religion; religious belief (a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny)

Derivation:

impureness (the condition of being impure)

 Context examples 

He assures them that their last sample is impure and quite useless for his present purpose.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The presence of any substance or organism that makes a preparation impure.

(Contamination, NCI Thesaurus)

A substance that makes a material impure.

(Contaminant, NCI Thesaurus)

Derived by boiling impure water and condensing the resultant steam in a sterile container, distilled water has been shown to kill bladder cancer cells in vitro through osmotic lysis (cytolysis)

(Distilled Water, NCI Thesaurus)

I was rich enough now—yet poor to hideous indigence: a nature the most gross, impure, depraved I ever saw, was associated with mine, and called by the law and by society a part of me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

You will learn from Poole how I have had London ransacked; it was in vain; and I am now persuaded that my first supply was impure, and that it was that unknown impurity which lent efficacy to the draught.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)