1
a
: to a full extent : totally
purely by accident
b
: wholly, exclusively
a selection based purely on merit
2
: without admixture of anything injurious or foreign
4
: in a chaste or innocent manner
Examples of purely in a Sentence
They met purely by accident.
a selection based purely on merit
The organization's mission, purely and simply, is to provide food to people who need it.
It was purely and simply a matter of greed.
Recent Examples on the Web
In many cases, nutrition practitioners are brought in purely to provide body composition assessments.
—
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That looks pretty optically strong to me – which, of course, is purely subjective – but the way to use this kind of chart is to see if the future actually sticks reasonably close to the trajectory.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Both Third Point and D.E. Shaw are not purely activists, but multi-strategy firms that often use activism as an opportunistic tool.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2025
But purely from a scheme standpoint, Dart fits the best.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purely
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Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That looks pretty optically strong to me – which, of course, is purely subjective – but the way to use this kind of chart is to see if the future actually sticks reasonably close to the trajectory.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Both Third Point and D.E. Shaw are not purely activists, but multi-strategy firms that often use activism as an opportunistic tool.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2025
But purely from a scheme standpoint, Dart fits the best.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purely
Cite this Entry
“Purely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purely. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
purely
adverb
pure·ly
ˈpyu̇(ə)r-lē 
1
: to the full or entire extent
2
: without the addition of anything harmful or different
3
: for no other reason than : only
done purely for fun
4
: in an innocent manner
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