pristine
adjective
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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
Emily Witt, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
With all the uncertainty surrounding the sale of the team and many fans wanting new ownership, and both the club and its fan base looking to shed the bad taste of last year’s collapse, the Twins are hoping for a pristine start to 2025.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Yet beneath the pristine public persona were demons that would drive him to alcoholism, scandal, and death from an overdose in 2012.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Snorkel or scuba dive along the pristine reef to encounter 165 endemic fish species, playful dolphins, graceful hawksbill turtles and majestic stingrays.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pristine
Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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pristine
adjective
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