Purity is the state or quality of being free from contamination or adulteration; it also refers to moral or spiritual integrity. In everyday use, it can describe clean substances, unmixed food, or conduct and thoughts that are chaste or virtuous. The term emphasizes clarity, wholeness, and the absence of impurity in a physical, moral, or symbolic sense.
Tip: practice with a cadence: PU-ry-ty; use a mirror to monitor lip rounding on /pj/ and a light tongue curl to connect /j/ to /ʊ/.
"The purity of the water ensured it was safe to drink."
"Her purity of motive impressed the jury and inspired confidence."
"They valued the purity of the design, with no extraneous ornamentation."
"The scientist tested for purity to confirm the sample was uncontaminated."
Purity comes from Middle French pureté, from Old French purité, from Latin purus “clean, pure.” The Latin root purus evolved into various Romance forms before entering English in the late Middle English period. The word carries semantic threads from physical cleanliness to moral integrity, expanding in the 17th–18th centuries to include metaphysical connotations of sincerity and unimpaired virtue. Early uses emphasized material cleanliness, but by the early modern era it consistently extended to moral and spiritual contexts, as seen in religious and philosophical texts where “purity” described untainted character and intentions. In contemporary usage, purity often functions as a scalar or qualitative attribute, applied to substances (chemical purity), aesthetics (purity of color or line), and ethics (purity of motives). The evolution mirrors broader cultural concerns about authenticity, contamination, and virtue, while maintaining a core sense of freedom from foreign matter, influence, or corruption.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Purity" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Purity" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Purity"
-ity sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Say PYU-ruh-tee with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈpjʊr.ə.ti/, UK /ˈpjʊə.rɪ.ti/, AU /ˈpjʊː.rɪ.ti/. Start with a rounded /pj/ onset, then a short /ʊ/ vowel, an unstressed /r/ or /ɹ/ in American, followed by a clear schwa or /ə/ in the second syllable and a final /i/ as in “see.” Keep the lips slightly rounded for the /pj/ and maintain a light, quick tongue flip between /j/ and the vowel.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress (putting it on the second syllable, as in PUR-i-ty) and mispronouncing the /pj/ cluster as /p/ + /i/ without the moving tongue joint. Another error is reducing the second syllable to a full syllabic /ri/ or missing the /r/ sound in non-rhotic accents. Correct by ensuring the initial /pj/ is a tight, rounded onset with a brief /ʊ/ before the /r/ and a short, unstressed /ə/ before the final /ti/.
In US English, expect /ˈpjʊr.ə.ti/ with a rhotic /r/ in the second syllable. UK English often features /ˈpjʊə.rɪ.ti/ with a glide after the /ʊ/ and a shorter second vowel; the /r/ may be less pronounced depending on speaker. Australian English tends toward /ˈpjʊː.rɪ.ti/, with a longer first vowel and a less pronounced /r/ in non-rhotic varieties. Across all, stress remains on the first syllable; vowel quality and rhoticity shift subtly with locale.
The difficulty lies in the /pj/ cluster at the onset, which beginners often treat as a simple /p/ + /j/ onset rather than as a palatalized combination requiring the tongue to raise toward the hard palate. The second syllable /ə/ can be unstressed and reduced, leading to a weaker middle syllable. Additionally, the subtle vowel length differences in UK/AU varieties can alter perceived quality. Master the initial palatalized onset and keep the sequence rapid and smooth.
Purity’s unique aspect is the “-ity” suffix that shifts the word from “pure” to a concept. The ending /-i.ti/ is a three-segment nucleus in many dialects, with a light /ti/ or /tiː/ at the end. Be mindful of syllable timing: the middle syllable may shorten in fast speech, so you land the /ə/ quickly before the final /ti/. This makes listening for the final /ti/ crucial when training perception.
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