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What's "pure" means in the sentence below?

There are many who must work out of pure economic necessity.

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Please check a dictionary of your choice first. – RegDwighт♦ May 31 '12 at 16:26

closed as general reference by RegDwighт♦ May 31 '12 at 16:24

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

1 Answer

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MW gives this definition:

2 a : being thus and no other

I could see how that definition is a little hard to penetrate if you're not familiar with the idea already. The sentence could be reworded as,

There are many who must work for no other reason than economic necessity.

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