purely

adverb

pure·​ly ˈpyu̇r-lē 

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

3

: simply, merely

read purely for relaxation

4

: in a chaste or innocent manner

Synonyms

• chastely
• innocently
• modestly
• morally
• righteously
• virtuously

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

Breslow did comment from a purely baseball perspective as to why Chapman intrigued the team. —Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic, 10 Dec. 2024

From a purely political perspective, such a OLC memo offers an order of magnitude upgrade in its rhetorical power. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

There are also some U.S. firms that sell debt overseas, so it is not purely exposed to the prospects of Europe. —Jesse Pound, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024

Mistake or divine intervention, those three seconds, before the second guitar reappears, proves that time is purely subjective. —Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids 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