a pure state

USAGE SUMMARY

"a pure state" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a condition or situation that is untainted or unaltered. For example, "The solution was in a pure state, free from any contaminants." Alternative expressions include "an unadulterated state," "a pristine condition," and "a flawless state."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

51 human-written examples

I've returned to a pure state.

The Guardian - Music

Idleness is difficult to find in a pure state.

The New York Times

This is Communism as a pure state of nature, a Rousseauian idyll.

The New Yorker

This allows the antibodies to be extracted easily, cheaply and in a pure state.

The Economist

None of these elements was known in a pure state before modern chemistry isolated them.

Encyclopedia Britannica

For a pure state, p1 = 1 and all the other probabilities pκ are zero.

Nature

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

9 human-written examples

But if you look at his prior work and especially at the ballet that he made for the company last season, "After the Rain," you see them in a purer state.

The New Yorker

Abdessalam Yassine, the movement's founder, once mocked Hassan, calling him "my dear nephew of the Prophet". The movement maintains that Islam and its rites have been eroded and corrupted and must be returned to a purer state.

The New York Times

What they did with their fourth album, Stand!, wasn't rocket science – Sly Stone took the live excitement of the Stax Soul Revue, grafted on James Brown's completely functional, rhythm-as-a pure-state funk, and mixed in the heightened airs of psychedelia (the Family were from San Francisco, after all).

The Guardian - Music

Only Lie groups isomorphic to SO ( 2 d − 1 ) and SO ( 2 d ) can act transitively (i.e. in a pure-state controllable manner) on the homogeneous space SO ( 2 d ) / U ( d ) assuming d ≥ 3. The case d ≥ 4 is discussed in [61].

EPJ Quantum Technology

Phytohemagglutinin is particularly abundant in the common bean and has been extracted in a relatively pure state on a commercial scale from species belonging to this genus.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In philosophical or literary writing, use this phrase to describe an original human nature or a 'Rousseauian' idyll that predates social corruption.

Common error

Avoid using "a pure state" if you are referring to a process rather than a condition. For instance, do not say 'the water was purified to a pure state' if you mean it was 'distilled'. The phrase describes the resulting condition of the entity, not the action taken.

Linguistic Context

Grammatically, "a pure state" functions as a count noun phrase composed of an indefinite article, a descriptive adjective, and a common noun. Based on data from Ludwig, it serves as a predicative or post-prepositional complement to define the essential quality of a subject.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

45%

Encyclopedias

25%

News & Media

20%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Arts & Literature

3%

Philosophy

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "a pure state" is a highly versatile and correct phrase used to describe anything from quantum particles to human emotions in their most basic form. Ludwig AI shows that while it is a staple of scientific and technical writing—specifically in physics where it contrasts with a mixed state—it is also widely adopted by The New York Times and The Guardian to describe artistic and philosophical ideals. When using this phrase, ensure you are describing a stable condition of non-mixture. For writers seeking variety, alternatives like "a pristine condition" or "an unadulterated state" provide similar semantic value depending on whether the context is physical or abstract.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

an unadulterated state

Emphasizes the lack of additives or dilution in a mixture.

a pristine condition

Focuses more on the untouched or original quality of an object or environment.

an uncontaminated state

Commonly used when discussing materials or environments free from pollutants.

a fundamental state

Scientific context referring to a basic or primary form of matter or energy.

an elemental form

Highlights the most basic and irreducible nature of something.

an untainted condition

Often used in moral or philosophical discussions about innocence.

an absolute form

Suggests a state that is complete and not relative to anything else.

a raw state

Focuses on the lack of processing or refinement.

a refined state

Implies a state of purity achieved through a specific process.

a perfect state

A more subjective term implying a lack of flaws rather than just a lack of mixture.

FAQs

What is the meaning of "a pure state" in quantum mechanics?

In quantum mechanics, "a pure state" refers to a system that can be represented by a single ket vector or wave function, as opposed to "a mixed state" which requires a density matrix.

Can I use "an unadulterated state" instead?

Yes, you can use "an unadulterated state" when you want to emphasize that something has not been mixed with inferior substances or altered from its original form.

How do you use "a pure state" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe chemical elements, such as: 'Magnesium is highly reactive and is not found in "a pure state" on Earth.' It can also be used abstractly: 'The poet captures consciousness in "a pure state".'

Is it correct to say "in a pure state" or "at a pure state"?

The preposition 'in' is almost exclusively used with this phrase. Saying "in a pure state" is the standard way to describe the condition of an object or system.