purify

/ˈpjʊərɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpjʊrɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī/ (ame, mw)

purify — 動詞

  • purifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • purifieshe / she / it
  • purifiedpast simple
  • purifying-ing form

1. to clear a substance of anything dirty, dangerous, or unwanted so that it become

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

淨化

去除雜質使物質變乾淨可用

to clear a substance of anything dirty, dangerous, or unwanted so that it becomes clean and usable

例句

Emeka boiled water from the nearby stream to purify it before his children drank.

Emeka 把附近溪流的水煮開淨化之後才給孩子們喝。

purify + object + before-clause

The factory added charcoal filters to purify the air before it left the main chimney.

工廠加裝了活性炭過濾器來淨化從主煙囪排出的空氣。

同義詞
  • cleanse

    less technical; often used for skin or the body rather than substances like water or chemicals

  • filter

    specifically means passing something through a physical barrier to trap unwanted particles

  • refine

    used especially for improving the quality of metals, oil, or sugar through an industrial process

  • distil

    involves boiling a liquid and collecting the condensed vapour; a specific method of purification

反義詞
  • contaminate

    to make a substance dirty or unsafe by adding something harmful

  • pollute

    used especially for large-scale contamination of water, air, or land

文法句型

purify + object

purify + object + by + -ing

purify + object + of + noun

用法筆記

Object is usually a substance that can be made cleaner (water, air, metal, a chemical sample). Frequently used in scientific, industrial, and environmental writing.

常見錯誤

❌I purified my hands with soap.
✅I washed my hands with soap.
💡purify is used for removing impurities from a substance (water, air, chemicals), not for routine cleaning of body parts or household objects.

2. to cleanse the heart or soul by removing a sense of having done wrong, so that t

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

洗滌

去除罪惡感使心靈重獲潔淨

to cleanse the heart or soul by removing a sense of having done wrong, so that the person feels spiritually clean again

例句

Fatima attended the temple ceremony hoping to purify her heart of past regrets.

Fatima 參加寺廟儀式，希望能洗滌心中過往的遺憾。

purify + heart + of + [negative feeling]

The monk told Santiago that sincere prayer could purify his troubled conscience.

僧侶告訴 Santiago，真誠的祈禱可以洗滌他不安的良心。

同義詞
  • cleanse

    more common in everyday speech; can refer to both physical and spiritual cleaning without the formal or religious weight of purify

  • absolve

    specifically means freeing someone from blame or guilt, often in a religious or legal setting

  • redeem

    emphasises saving or rescuing someone from a state of sin or moral failure

反義詞
  • corrupt

    to damage someone's moral character or make them dishonest

  • defile

    to make something spiritually or ceremonially unclean; very strong and often religious

文法句型

purify + reflexive pronoun

purify + soul/heart/mind

purify + object + of + noun

用法筆記

Object is usually something abstract (soul, heart, mind, conscience). Common in religious, spiritual, and literary writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (REMOVE IMPURITIES), which describes physical cleaning of substances.

常見錯誤

❌The holiday purified my stress.
✅The holiday helped me let go of my stress.
💡purify in the moral sense suggests deep spiritual or moral cleansing; it is too strong for ordinary relief from daily tension or worry.