Pure vs. True — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 25, 2023
Pure relates to untainted essence; True indicates factual correctness.
Difference Between Pure and True
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Pure often denotes something in its untainted and unaltered state. In contrast, True refers to something being in accordance with fact or reality.
While Pure emphasizes genuineness from external adulteration, True emphasizes accuracy or alignment with a standard or reality.
When describing a substance, Pure would mean it has no foreign elements. Meanwhile, calling a statement True means it aligns with established facts.
In emotions, Pure feelings are untainted by ulterior motives. On the other hand, when we say feelings are True, it means they're sincere and genuine.
Pure can also relate to clarity or simplicity, as in a "pure sound" or "pure color," whereas True can indicate alignment with a norm or standard, such as "true north" or a "true fit."
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Untainted, unaltered essence.
In accordance with fact or reality.
Usage in Context
Emphasizes genuineness from adulteration.
Emphasizes accuracy or alignment with a standard.
In Substance
No foreign elements present.
Not applicable as it pertains more to factual accuracy.
In Emotion
Feelings untainted by ulterior motives.
Sincere, genuine feelings.
In Quality
Relates to clarity or simplicity.
Indicates alignment with a norm or standard.
Compare with Definitions
Pure
Clear; free from impurities.
The lake was so pure that you could see all the way to the bottom.
True
In accordance with fact or reality.
His story turned out to be true.
Pure
Not hybridized; genetically homogeneous.
They cultivated a pure strain of wheat.
True
Loyal or faithful.
He remained true to his promise.
Pure
Having a homogeneous or uniform composition; not mixed
Pure oxygen.
True
Properly so called; real or genuine.
Their friendship was true and enduring.
Pure
Free of dirt, pollutants, infectious agents, or other unwanted elements
Pure water.
True
Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous
The true cost.
Pure
Containing nothing inappropriate or extraneous
A pure style of piano playing.
True
Not counterfeit; real or genuine
True gold.
Pure
Complete; utter
Pure folly.
True
Conforming to the characteristics or criteria of a group or type; typical
A true crab.
A true gentleman.
Pure
Having no moral failing or guilt
"I felt pure and sweet as a new baby" (Sylvia Plath).
True
Properly called
True value.
Pure
Chaste; virgin.
True
Reliable; accurate
A true prophecy.
Pure
Of unmixed blood or ancestry.
True
Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal.
Pure
(Genetics) Produced by self-fertilization or continual inbreeding; homozygous
A pure line.
True
(Archaic) Truthful, honest, or trustworthy.
Pure
(Music) Free from discordant qualities
Pure tones.
True
Sincerely felt or expressed; unfeigned
True grief.
Pure
(Linguistics) Articulated with a single unchanging speech sound; monophthongal
A pure vowel.
True
Rightful; legitimate
The true heir.
Pure
Theoretical; not applied
Pure science.
True
Exactly conforming to a rule, standard, or pattern
Trying to sing true B.
Pure
(Philosophy) Free of empirical elements
Pure reason.
True
Accurately shaped, fitted, or placed
Are the wheels true?.
Pure
Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.
True
Determined with reference to the earth's axis, not the magnetic poles
True north.
Pure
Free of foreign material or pollutants.
True
Quick and exact in sensing and responding
A true ear.
Pure
Free of immoral behavior or qualities; clean.
True
(Computers) Indicating one of two possible values taken by a variable in Boolean logic or a binary device.
Pure
Mere; that and that only.
That idea is pure madness!
True
In accord with reality, fact, or truthfulness.
Pure
(of a branch of science) Done for its own sake instead of serving another branch of science.
True
Unswervingly; exactly
The archer aimed true.
Pure
(phonetics) Of a single, simple sound or tone; said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.
True
So as to conform to a type, standard, or pattern.
Pure
(of sound) Without harmonics or overtones; not harsh or discordant.
True
To position (something) so as to make it balanced, level, or square
Trued up the long planks.
Pure
A lot of.
True
Truth or reality. Used with the.
Pure
To a great extent or degree; extremely; exceedingly.
You’re pure busy.
True
Proper alignment or adjustment
Out of true.
Pure
(golf) to hit (the ball) completely cleanly and accurately
Tiger Woods pured his first drive straight down the middle of the fairway.
True
(of a statement) Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
This is a true story.
Pure
To cleanse; to refine.
True
As an ellipsis of "(while) it is true (that)", used to start a sentence
True, I have only read part of the book, but I like it so far.
Pure
One who, or that which, is pure.
True
Conforming to a rule or pattern; exact; accurate.
A true copy;
A true likeness of the original
Pure
Alternative form of puer
True
(logic) Of the state in Boolean logic that indicates an affirmative or positive result.
"A and B" is true if and only if "A" is true and "B" is true.
Pure
Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed; as, pure water; pure clay; pure air; pure compassion.
The pure fetters on his shins great.
A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy.
True
Loyal, faithful.
He’s turned out to be a true friend.
Pure
Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; - applied to persons.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience.
True
Genuine; legitimate, valid.
This is true Parmesan cheese.
The true king has returned!
Pure
Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; - applied to things and actions.
Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records.
True
Used in the designation of group of species, or sometimes a single species, to indicate that it belongs to the clade its common name (which may be more broadly scoped in common speech) is restricted to in technical speech, or to distinguish it from a similar species, the latter of which may be called false.
True spiders
Pure
Ritually clean; fitted for holy services.
Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.
True
Accurate; following a path toward the target.
Pure
Of a single, simple sound or tone; - said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.
True
(of a mechanical part) Correctly aligned or calibrated, without deviation.
Is my bike wheel true? It feels unsteady.
Pure
Free of extraneous elements of any kind;
Pure air and water
Pure gold
Pure primary colors
The violin's pure and lovely song
Pure tones
True
Fair, unbiased, not loaded.
Pure
Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers;
An arrant fool
A complete coward
A consummate fool
A double-dyed villain
Gross negligence
A perfect idiot
Pure folly
What a sodding mess
Stark staring mad
A thoroughgoing villain
Utter nonsense
True
(of a literary genre) based on actual historical events.
Pure
Concerned with theory and data rather than practice; opposed to applied;
Pure science
True
(of shooting, throwing etc) Accurately.
This gun shoots true.
Pure
(of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or gray or black
True
(archaic) Truthfully.
Pure
Free from discordant qualities
True
(uncountable) The state of being in alignment.
Pure
Used of persons or behaviors; having no faults; sinless;
I felt pure and sweet as a new baby
Pure as the driven snow
True
Truth.
Pure
In a state of sexual virginity;
Pure and vestal modesty
A spinster or virgin lady
Men have decreed that their women must be pure and virginal
True
A pledge or truce.
Pure
Not mixed;
Pure oxygen
True
To straighten (of something that is supposed to be straight).
He trued the spokes of the bicycle wheel.
Pure
Unmixed with any other matter.
The gold ring was 24k, meaning it was pure gold.
True
To make even, level, symmetrical, or accurate, align; adjust.
We spent all night truing up the report.
Pure
Free from moral fault or guilt.
His intentions were pure and without malice.
True
Conformable to fact; in accordance with the actual state of things; correct; not false, erroneous, inaccurate, or the like; as, a true relation or narration; a true history; a declaration is true when it states the facts.
Pure
Absolute; utter.
The concert was pure joy from beginning to end.
True
Right to precision; conformable to a rule or pattern; exact; accurate; as, a true copy; a true likeness of the original.
Making his eye, foot, and hand keep true time.
True
Steady in adhering to friends, to promises, to a prince, or the like; unwavering; faithful; loyal; not false, fickle, or perfidious; as, a true friend; a wife true to her husband; an officer true to his charge.
Thy so true,So faithful, love unequaled.
Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie.
True
Actual; not counterfeit, adulterated, or pretended; genuine; pure; real; as, true balsam; true love of country; a true Christian.
The true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance.
True
Genuine; real; not deviating from the essential characters of a class; as, a lizard is a true reptile; a whale is a true, but not a typical, mammal.
True
In accordance with truth; truly.
True
Proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment;
Out of true
True
Make level, square, balanced, or concentric;
True up the cylinder of an engine
True
Consistent with fact or reality; not false;
The story is true
It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true
The true meaning of the statement
True
Not synthetic or spurious; of real or natural origin;
Real mink
True gold
True
Conforming to definitive criteria;
The horseshoe crab is not a true crab
Pythagoras was the first true mathematician
True
Accurately placed or thrown;
His aim was true
He was dead on target
True
Devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth;
True believers bonded together against all who disagreed with them
True
Expressing or given to expressing the truth;
A true statement
Gave truthful testimony
A truthful person
True
Worthy of being depended on;
A dependable worker
An honest working stiff
A reliable source of information
He was true to his word
I would be true for there are those who trust me
True
Not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed;
Genuine emotion
Her interest in people was unfeigned
True grief
True
Rightly so called;
True courage
A spirit which true men have always admired
A true friend
True
Determined with reference to the earth's axis rather than the magnetic poles;
True north is geographic north
True
Having a legally established claim;
The legitimate heir
The true and lawful king
True
In tune; accurate in pitch;
A true note
True
Accurately fitted; level;
The window frame isn't quite true
True
Reliable as a basis for action;
A true prophesy
True
As acknowledged;
True, she is the smartest in her class
True
Genuine; not counterfeit.
She wore a necklace with a true diamond pendant.
True
Accurate or exact.
The arrow flew straight and true.
Common Curiosities
What does it mean when a substance is referred to as "Pure"?
It means the substance is free from any contaminants or adulterants.
What does it mean when one's aim is "True"?
It means one's aim is accurate and on target.
If a statement is "True," what does that imply?
It implies that the statement aligns with factual reality or is accurate.
In metals, what does "Pure" signify?
It signifies that the metal has no other mixed elements and is in its purest form.
Can "Pure" also relate to emotions or intentions?
Yes, when emotions or intentions are "Pure," they are genuine and free from deceit or ulterior motives.
How does "Pure" relate to quality?
"Pure" can refer to something that retains its original essence without adulteration, ensuring its top quality.
Can something be both Pure and True?
Yes, for instance, pure love can also be true love, indicating both genuineness and fidelity.
Can "True" be used to refer to directions?
Yes, as in "true north," which indicates the exact northern direction on the Earth's surface.
Does "True" only refer to statements?
No, "True" can refer to loyalty, alignment with standards, or genuineness in various contexts.
What's the antonym of "True" in the context of a statement?
The antonym would be "False."
Is "Purely" the adverbial form of "Pure"?
Yes, "Purely" means in a pure manner or for the sole reason.
Can "Pure" also mean innocent or virtuous?
Yes, when referring to one's character or intentions, "Pure" can indicate innocence or virtue.
In terms of sound, what does a "Pure note" mean?
It means the sound is clear, without any distortions or overtones.
Can a color be described as "Pure"?
Yes, a "Pure color" would be one not mixed with other colors, retaining its original hue.
What does it mean when we say someone has a "True heart"?
It means the person is genuine, sincere, and trustworthy.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
