purifying 1 of 2

adjective

as in cleansing

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purifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of purify
1
as in purging
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially Catholics go to confession to be purified

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from purify the water by distillation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Verb
Potential applications include purifying pyrolysis oil produced from waste plastics, recovering industrial solvents used in battery manufacturing, pharmaceutical purification, and biofuel production. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026 The Dyson Purifier Cool Gen1 TP10 is another HEPA purifying tower fan featuring 350-degree oscillation, 10 fan modes, and Air Multiplier Technology. — Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 23 June 2026 Local residents were urged to limit their exposure by remaining indoors with their windows and doors closed and advised to run air conditioning or air purifying units, where possible. — Adela Suliman, NBC news, 22 June 2026 Charcoal lends an extra purifying boost, while hydrolyzed keratin smooths frizz and softens hair after cleansing. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 19 June 2026 In place of purifying catharsis, tragicomedy traffics in unresolved tension. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 SacSewer does not charge or gain revenue from water treatment, which involves purifying raw environmental water into safe drinking water. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 Next is purifying and hydrating with the Body Wash, which moisturizes and plumps skin while deeply cleansing pores, strengthening the skin barrier and triggering cellular regeneration. — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Flameless induction cooking ranges, waste management and composting, oil purifying machines—all part of a large attempt to make luxury a little less wasteful. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purifying
  1. cleansing
  2. purging
  3. filtering
  4. cathartic
  5. clarifying
  6. purificatory
  7. refining
  8. moving
Adjective
  • The in-shower treatment is meant to be used post-cleansing; simply massage it into wet hair and rinse it out two-to-three times a week.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 24 June 2026
  • To use the bestseller, distribute three pumps over the face and neck daily, post-cleansing, and start savoring its impressive effects after a couple of months of consistent application.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Dec. 2025
Definition of cleansing
Verb
  • Add things like purging closets and cleaning windows to your calendar on a regular basis, rather than having one big cleaning spree every spring.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
  • When purging categories was proposed during that period, it was met with fierce resistance from the Writers branch, as well as WGA.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 July 2026
Definition of purging
Verb
  • According to You, the new approach could save significant computing resources by filtering out less promising materials before expensive simulations or even lab experiments start.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The liver just might be one of your hardest-working organs, producing proteins and filtering the blood, metabolizing nutrients and creating necessary bile for digestion.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of filtering
Adjective
  • Back in the Big Easy, that victory ignited cathartic, rapturous celebrations and set the stage for a victory parade as wild and well-attended as any held during Mardi Gras.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Her set spanned all four of her records, with an emphasis on the cathartic reinvention found on her fourth LP, 2025’s Virgin.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Definition of cathartic
Verb
  • Organizations achieving meaningful value are redesigning workflows, establishing governance frameworks, investing in workforce readiness and clarifying accountability alongside technology deployment.
    — Jayasri Ranganathan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As a policy tool, that commitment provides clarifying focus and a way to determine when to stop an operation.
    — KORI SCHAKE, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clarifying
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
Definition of purificatory
Verb
  • After refining their word-swapping dictionary over three months, the ShieldFont creators ended up with a list of nearly 12,000 common words that can be replaced with ligatures.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Bad prompts stay bad prompts because asking for help refining them exposes the dependency.
    — Nohar Zmora, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of refining
Adjective
  • One of Bourdain’s most moving reflections on fatherhood came in a 2013 essay for The Guardian.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026
  • To discover that the notes corresponded to where there was more human activity was really very moving.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of moving

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purify
purifying
purist
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Cite this Entry

“Purifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purifying. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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