Standard Lemma guide

impure

adj · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P Y UH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not pure

Containing undesired intermixtures

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The impure gemstone was not good enough to be made into a necklace, so it was thrown out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imperfect, tainted, contaminated, polluted

Antonyms: pure

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not pure

Unhallowed; defiled by something unholy, either physically by an objectionable substance, or morally by guilt or sin

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imperfect, tainted, profane, unhallowed, common, impious, impure, mishallowed, unholy

Antonyms: pure

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not pure

Unchaste; obscene (not according to or not abiding by some system of sexual morality)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He was thinking impure thoughts involving a girl from school.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imperfect, tainted, indecent, libidinous, wanton, adult, bawdy, blue, cheeky, dirty, filthy, gross, harlot, impure, ithyphallic, lewd, licentious, mucky, naughty, near the knuckle, obscene, off-colour, racy, raunchy, ribald, ribaudred, ribaudrous, risqué, rorty, salacious, saucy, shocking, sluttish, slutlike, slutty, smutty, spicy, tartish, tarty, trampy, vulgar, ablaze, amorous, aroused, buckish, concupiscent, corny, desirous, drippy, DTF, excited, flustered, frisky, fuckish, gagging for it, horny, hot, hot and bothered, hot to trot, in heat, lascivious, lickerish, lustful, lusty, prurient, randy, ravenous, ruttish, rutty, sexed up, stimulated, thirsty, toey, toey as a Roman sandal, turned on, unchaste, venereal, venereous

Antonyms: pure

4

adj

Meaning 4

Not pure

Having side effects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

Examples

  • an impure method

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imperfect, tainted

Antonyms: pure

5

verb

Meaning 5

to defile; to pollute

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws-Leviticus 11:3

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • unclean meat
  • and the swine...is unclean to you

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unclean

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

(used of persons or behaviors) immoral or obscene

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • impure thoughts

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: pure

8

adjective

Meaning 8

combined with extraneous elements

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: pure

History

Etymology

From Middle French impur, from Latin impūrus.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: պիղծ (piġc) — not pure
  • Old Armenian: պիղծ (piłc) — not pure
  • Asturian: impuru — not pure
  • Belarusian: нячы́сты (njačýsty) — not pure
  • Bulgarian: нечи́ст (nečíst) — not pure
  • Bulgarian: с при́мес (s prímes) — not pure
  • Catalan: impur — not pure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不純 /不纯 (bù chún) — not pure
  • Czech: nečistý — not pure
  • Dutch: onzuiver — not pure
  • Esperanto: malpura — not pure
  • Finnish: epäpuhdas — not pure
  • French: impur — not pure
  • Galician: impuro — not pure
  • German: unrein — not pure
  • Hindi: अशुद्ध (aśuddh) — not pure
  • Hungarian: szennyezett — not pure
  • Interlingua: impur — not pure
  • Irish: neamhghlan — not pure
  • Italian: impuro — not pure
  • Japanese: 不潔な (fuketsu na) — not pure
  • Korean: 불결하다 (bulgyeolhada) — not pure
  • Latin: impūrus — not pure
  • Macedonian: нечист (nečist) — not pure
  • Māori: whaipara — not pure
  • Māori: paruparu — not pure
  • Old English: unsȳfre — not pure
  • Polish: nieczysty — not pure
  • Portuguese: impuro — not pure
  • Russian: нечи́стый (nečístyj) — not pure
  • Russian: с при́месью (s prímesʹju) — not pure
  • Sanskrit: अशुद्ध (aśuddha) — not pure
  • Spanish: impuro — not pure
  • Swedish: oren — not pure
  • Tagalog: ditagnas — not pure
  • Ukrainian: нечи́стий (nečýstyj) — not pure
Real reading context

impure in complete knowledge articles