pristine

adjective

pris·tine | \ ˈpri-ˌstēn

, pri-ˈstēn, especially British ˈpri-ˌstīn\

Definition of pristine

1 : belonging to the earliest period or state : original the hypothetical pristine lunar atmosphere

2a : not spoiled, corrupted, or polluted (as by civilization) : pure a pristine forest

b : fresh and clean as or as if new used books in pristine condition

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Synonyms & Antonyms for pristine

Synonyms

brand-new, fresh, mint, span-new, virgin, virginal

Antonyms

stale

Did You Know?

When pristine was anglicized in the 16th century, people borrowed the meanings of "early" and "original" from the Latin word pristinus and applied those meanings to what is desirable as well as to what is not. But it has long been a tendency of civilized people to admire a simpler and unsullied past. The supposition is that when things were in their oldest or original state, they were better. Thus, pristine was extended to describe the notion of an unspoiled, uncorrupted, or unpolluted state. And what is unspoiled or uncontaminated may connote the freshness and cleanness of something that has just been made, which explains how pristine has also come to mean "fresh and clean."

Examples of pristine in a Sentence

My office is a mess but her office is always pristine. He was wearing a pristine white shirt.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her wedding dress mirrors her character's inner journey, starting out pristine and gradually getting more ripped and stained with blood and gore as her hellish wedding night progresses. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: Pitch-perfect Ready or Not is a sharp and witty blood-soaked delight," 21 Aug. 2019 This property is pristine and one of four in the peaceful enclave that is also just minutes from Crow Canyon Road and convenient access to Interstate 680 and Interstate 580, downtown shopping, restaurants, schools, and entertainment. — Monica Lander, The Mercury News, "Sponsored: One of a Kind: Properties like this still do exist in San Ramon," 5 Aug. 2019 The result is a communitarian version of the old individualist fairy tale: the nation as a pristine and consensual community, unsullied by coercion or conquest, which might have a history but doesn’t really have a politics. — Daniel Luban, The New Republic, "The Man Behind National Conservatism," 26 July 2019 Over the weekend, a New York man found a double-double burger from In-N-Out sitting untouched, in pristine condition, on an empty street in Jamaica, Queens. — Hannah Chubb, PEOPLE.com, "Man Finds Mysterious In-N-Out Burger on the Street in New York: It 'Shook Me to My Core'," 23 July 2019 When an inspector named Rebecca Husler arrived one day that September, Mr. Tripathi thought his restaurant was pristine. — New York Times, "Subway Got Too Big. Franchisees Paid a Price.," 28 June 2019 This was the flip-side of China’s under-consumption: Consumer balance sheets were pristine. — Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, "China’s debt disease might wreck its uncrashable housing market," 11 June 2019 Sports cards in pristine condition can be worth thousands or even millions of dollars to collectors. — Mike Rogoway, oregonlive.com, "Sports memorabilia firm plans ‘investigation’ into allegedly altered trading cards," 5 June 2019 The materials in current semiconductor LEDs, including the organic versions, require processing at high temperatures in vacuum chambers to ensure the resulting semiconductors are pristine. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "LEDs created from wonder material could revolutionize lighting and displays," 4 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pristine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for pristine

pristine

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of pristine

: in perfect condition : completely clean, fresh, neat, etc.

: not changed by people : left in its natural state

See the full definition for pristine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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pristine

Definition of pristine

Other Words from pristine

Synonyms & Antonyms for pristine

Did You Know?

Examples of pristine in a Sentence

First Known Use of pristine

History and Etymology for pristine

English Language Learners Definition of pristine

pristine

Definition of pristine

Other Words from pristine

Synonyms & Antonyms for pristine

Did You Know?

Examples of pristine in a Sentence

First Known Use of pristine

History and Etymology for pristine

English Language Learners Definition of pristine

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