How to Use purely in a Sentence

purely

adverb
  • It was purely and simply a matter of greed.
  • The organization's mission, purely and simply, is to provide food to people who need it.
  • They met purely by accident.
  • Was the name changed purely to get a berth on the Lido?
    — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2023
  • The fate of a historic season was purely in the hands of a 19-year-old.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2024
  • The second block is purely up to the students to choose.
    — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2021
  • Henry turned off that new gospel to leave purely the sound of the mitts.
    — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023
  • But purely from a scheme standpoint, Dart fits the best.
    — David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
  • That’s because the color of an egg is based purely on the color of the hen that laid it.
    — Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2023
  • But here too there is more to it than the purely post-colonial and racist reading.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Feb. 2024
  • But no child’s body should be framed purely as a problem to be solved.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2023
  • This was purely eyes on the rim, at 10 of 15 from the field with no assists and no turnovers through quarters.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Dec. 2022
  • The point of this change isn’t purely to buff him or counterbalance the nerfs.
    — Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 May 2022
  • The debut launch of Gilmour's Eris rocket is purely a test flight.
    — ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
  • The top panel has grooves and a logo, but the rest of the unit is purely functional.
    — PCMAG, 10 Feb. 2025
  • From purely a value standpoint, the Browns clubbed an Aaron Judge-sized home run in their trade with the Jaguars.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • This list is purely for fun and may apply to first-borns of any gender.
    — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
  • The test was purely based on aesthetics: taste and smell.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
  • This is not to say that this cyclical conflict is purely based on age.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Based purely on the album artwork, the project appears to be called Black Yacht Rock Vol.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
  • That epiphany was purely happenstance like all the best things.
    — Kristen Shirley, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021
  • On the border, that is purely the purview of Customs and Border Patrol.
    — Dan Debree, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
  • There are so many great options to choose from that in the end, this choice purely comes down to preference.
    — Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
  • In fact, some of her finest looks were purely monochromatic.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Our vice president was there purely for a photo op with the Pope.
    — Bluesky Social, 21 Apr. 2025
  • And the ones that are shoved through in purely partisan fashion tend to be undone.
    — Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022
  • The mission was billed purely as a hunt for the Titanic, and media was kept entirely in the dark.
    — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2023
  • Many dog breeds are purely about appearance—think poodles and the Pekingese.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 28 Apr. 2022
  • In this way, a fence was erected, but purely for certain people.
    — Michael Luo, New Yorker, 20 May 2025
  • This comfortable and versatile footwear is no longer a purely functional option, but a true style icon.
    — René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 18 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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