pristine
adjective
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When pristine was anglicized in the 16th century, people borrowed the meanings of "early" and "original" from the Latin word pristinus and applied those meanings to what is desirable as well as to what is not. But it has long been a tendency of civilized people to admire a simpler and unsullied past. The supposition is that when things were in their oldest or original state, they were better. Thus, pristine was extended to describe the notion of an unspoiled, uncorrupted, or unpolluted state. And what is unspoiled or uncontaminated may connote the freshness and cleanness of something that has just been made, which explains how pristine has also come to mean "fresh and clean."
Examples of pristine in a Sentence
Jenny Berg, Allure, 8 Feb. 2025
For a healthy dose of solitude, head to Hunting Island State Park, a pristine stretch of coastline with miles of untouched beach and the iconic Hunting Island Lighthouse.
—Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2025
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is stunning–maybe the prettiest so far in The White Lotus canon–with 43 acres of steep beryl hills that plunge into the pristine and paper-flat Gulf of Thailand.
—Nick Remsen, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2025
After all, the impossibly blue body of water, the largest alpine lake in North America, is ideal for every warm-weather activity from boating, swimming, and kayaking to hiking, mountain biking, and simply relaxing on the pristine shore of the lake or bobbing about in the ultra-pure waters.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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pristine
adjective
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