immaculate
adjective
William Sansom
Did you know?
You may already use the word immaculate flawlessly, but most of us have a spottier history with its antonymous counterpart, maculate, which means "marked with spots" or "impure." Both words can be traced back to macula, a Latin noun (plural maculae or maculas) that scientists still use for spots on the skin, on the wings of insects, and on the surface of celestial objects. Maculate has not marked as many pages as immaculate, but it appears occasionally, especially as an antithesis to immaculate. The pair is used, for example, by Clive James in a 2019 column in Prospect Magazine, in reference to Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey: “… the story sweeps along in immaculate iambic pentameter. In only one small aspect is the immaculateness maculate.”
Synonyms
Examples of immaculate in a Sentence
Cynthia Ozick, Atlantic, May 1997
… and added to this was the fact that this Soviet Army Colonel had a service record that was as immaculate as a field of freshly fallen snow …
—Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, (1988) 1989
I was expecting some giant to emerge, but in came a tiny, immaculate, white-haired man.
—Anna Russell, I'm Not Making This Up, You Know, 1985
She had an immaculate record of service.
somehow managed to keep the white carpet immaculate
Anna Borges, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Apr. 2024
The vibes were not immaculate as the Saturday set by T-Pain drew crowds that filled the Heineken House, leading to a massive line outside of the venue.
—USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
The playing surface at Hickman Field was immaculate.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Yet people in Zwickau, with its immaculate but sleepy downtown, are still uneasy.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The Del Austin Sheds Found in Nebraska, the Del Austin Sheds are immaculate.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 27 Mar. 2024
Actors were immaculate, sculptural, their pictures flooding magazines and newspapers.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
With four treatment rooms, plus a sauna, a hammam and Nordic baths, the space is serene and immaculate, offering up a subtle aromatic buoyancy that doesn’t overwhelm.
—Nicolas Stecher, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024
Belgravia is a district known for its immaculate streets with regency-era terraced stucco townhouses, unlimited transport links, and shopping that will entice both boutique lovers and the Harrods aficionados.
—Stacey Wreathall, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'immaculate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Immaculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immaculate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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immaculate
adjective
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