1
as in purging
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
Catholics go to confession to be purified
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from
purify the water by distillation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cleansing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purifying
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
The Dyson Zone over-ear headphones came out in 2023 and coupled stylish over-ear sound with an air-purifying mask, perfect for the post-Covid public.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2025
The material could be used for purifying air and water, recovering solvents, extracting gold, and even for certain medical uses.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Traditionally, vaccines have required growing pieces of viruses, often in chicken eggs or giant vats of cells, then purifying that material.
—Amanda Seitz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Playing the character, much like Alicent Hightower in her stubbornness and strength, has been something of a purifying experience for Cooke.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
The Dyson Zone over-ear headphones came out in 2023 and coupled stylish over-ear sound with an air-purifying mask, perfect for the post-Covid public.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2025
The material could be used for purifying air and water, recovering solvents, extracting gold, and even for certain medical uses.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Traditionally, vaccines have required growing pieces of viruses, often in chicken eggs or giant vats of cells, then purifying that material.
—Amanda Seitz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purifying
Verb
-
Maddie hides her binging and purging from Deena and Jake, lying about being pregnant to distract her husband from what’s really going on.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
His machinations were getting no coverage to speak of, but even at that early stage, Vrabel — Volin noted — was purging the Patriots roster of players connected to his predecessors, one-year head coach Jerod Mayo and before that, legendary head coach Bill Belichick.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Key Takeaways IgA nephropathy is a progressive disease where immune proteins damage the kidneys' filtering units.—
Patty Weasler,
Verywell Health,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The Amiron 200 has two microphones for clear voice pickup and call quality, consistently filtering out distracting ambient noises using ENC.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Building in a few minutes at the end of meetings for clarifying questions shows that understanding is a priority.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The last two years have been clarifying, and not only in unpleasant ways.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
No matter how sad their stories are, how awful, hearing from people whose voices are rarely listened to is exquisitely cathartic.—
Rabih Alameddine
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The story unfolds in dual timelines, exploring the whirlwind romance between Elsie and Ben and the cathartic relationship between Elsie and Susan.—
Katie Mannion,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Future research will focus on refining the material design and reducing energy losses even further.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Enriched with a moisturizing trio — hyaluronic acid, rose fruit, and damask rose extract — the formula soothes and nourishes while refining the appearance of skin texture.—
Esme Benjamin,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Many stepwells were used for ablution; the tanks associated with mosques, Hindu temples and other shrines offered the most purificatory form. Summoning water from the depths was also a symbol of temporal power.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
13 July 2019
Verb
-
Plus, Greene points out that deep cleaning your cabinets is the best way to keep them organized!—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After a rabies exposure, people should seek immediate preventative medical care, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, which involves thoroughly cleaning the wound and receiving a rabies vaccination.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Experts say heavy bomber drones are very useful against non-moving targets, as well as against groups of soldiers or bunkers, but are typically used at night.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
However, the idea that Richardson’s second benching in nine months can somehow be spun into a positive for his development isn’t very moving.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purifying. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share