Synonym Chooser

How is the word chaste distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of chaste are decent, modest, and pure. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows.

they maintained chaste relations

How are the words modest and decent related as synonyms of chaste?

Both modest and decent apply especially to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward chastity or purity.

preferred more modest swimsuits
decent people didn't go to such movies

How do pure and chaste relate to one another?

Pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

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 chaste The film is a lot less magical: Mother hosts a rather chaste art show at a local gallery featuring paintings and sculptures of women and dogs. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024 Gender policing is now a blood sport online, where women who seem to defy traditional expectations of staying hot, quiet, chaste, and weak are humiliated and attacked en masse. Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Much of this chaste romance takes place in public spaces such as cafes, art galleries and bowling alleys that are strangely empty apart from the lovebirds. Richard Kuipers, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024 Disney's superhero franchise typically stays very chaste, but witches live to break the rules. Christian Holub, EW.com, 28 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for chaste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaste
Adjective
  • This can provide significant advantages over today’s best mini-LED TVs, including higher brightness, less blooming (light bleed around bright images), and purer, more accurate colors.
    Ryan Waniata, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Blanchett, meanwhile, continues her reign among the cadre of actresses who work with their stylists — in this case, Elizabeth Stewart — to craft a collection of press-run looks that extend beyond pure glamour in their talking points.
    Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This is a battle of the league's best and worst three-point shooting teams, as Orlando has hit just 30.9 percent of its triples, the worst mark in the NBA, while Cleveland is shooting a pristine 39.0 percent from three in 2024-25, the league's tidiest rate.
    Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Hay Island, a pristine 18-acre piece of land that is hidden near Long Island Sound, has listed for $35 million.
    TJ Macias, Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The first two rounds run Thursday through Sunday — that’s four immaculate days of next-to-nonstop college basketball in gyms across the country.
    Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Laurent Ferrier Galet Square The opportunity to own an immaculate creation from the hands of a master watchmaker with Patek Philippe pedigree sounds like an unfathomable accomplishment.
    Clem Chambers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Think about it: the record companies forced them to be clean cut and preppy and all those things.
    Gary Gerard Hamilton, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Feb. 2023
  • Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, with clean, crystalline waters cradled in the Flathead Valley by the Mission Mountains to the east and the Salish Mountains to the west.
    Deb Hopewell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • The decline was sharper than predicted by a Reuters poll of analysts, reversing January’s modest 0.5% increase and marking the first contraction since January 2024.
    John Liu, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Gloria, her shy and soft-spoken best friend, lives with her Ghanaian father in a modest apartment, rarely speaking to a mother who moved to Germany years ago.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The crux of the change for Tarantino is that the experience of theater is still unsullied, whereas with movies, people are on their phones and the theatrical window is teeny tiny.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Back in 2018, when Lasseter left the company, Docter moved up to Chief Creative Officer, as the Disney division tried to continue its unsullied record of major hits.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaste. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on chaste

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