purely to avoid

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "purely to avoid" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when explaining the sole reason for an action or decision, emphasizing that the action is taken solely for the purpose of avoiding something. Example: "She made the changes purely to avoid any further misunderstandings in the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

Hunt's slow and measured consultation process was designed purely to avoid a judicial review.

The Guardian

What many object to is an artificial takeover designed purely to avoid tax.

The Guardian - Business

In a recent survey, fully 60percentt said they had cut back on their flying purely to avoid airport problems.

The New York Times

An effective rule that prevented anyone taking action purely to avoid tax could rake in much of the missing £25bn that is currently avoided.

The Guardian - Opinion

Peer pressure, mob mentality and countless other things show how people often go against their own beliefs and instincts purely to avoid standing out and not being accepted.

The Guardian

The decision to revert to nickel-cadmium batteries, she said, was made purely to avoid delaying the first deliveries of the A350.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

These parameters depict that offender agents equally prefer to seek out target agents and avoid guardian agents, target agents purely seek to avoid offender agents, and guardian agents purely seek out offender agents.

Complex & Intelligent Systems

Lib Dems (p42): "[We will be] Introducing a general anti-avoidance rule which would outlaw contrived structures designed purely or largely to avoid tax".

The Guardian - Tech

The other key legal principle is discrimination: has a military struggled hard enough to hit only military targets and combatants, while trying to avoid purely civilian targets and noncombatants?

The New York Times

We have selected only tweets among informative accounts (e.g. @CNN) to avoid purely personal tweets that could not be contextualized.

Vietnam Journal of Computer Science

Thus, we manually selected 100 tweets, so that We have selected only tweets among informative accounts (e.g. @CNN) to avoid purely personal tweets that could not be contextualized.

Vietnam Journal of Computer Science

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "purely to avoid" to clearly and directly state that the sole reason for an action is to prevent a specific outcome. This can add emphasis and clarity to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "purely to avoid" when the context already makes the intention clear. Redundancy can weaken your writing. Make sure the 'purely' adds necessary emphasis and isn't just filling space.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "purely to avoid" functions as an adverbial phrase of purpose, modifying a verb or clause to indicate the reason why something is done. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is used to emphasize that the sole intention behind an action is to prevent a specific outcome, as shown in the provided examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "purely to avoid" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase that means something is done solely to prevent a certain outcome. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it functions as an adverbial phrase of purpose, adding emphasis and clarity to your writing. It is most frequently found in News & Media and Science contexts and less often in encyclopedias or wikis. When using this phrase, be sure that the context requires the emphasis and that the wording does not result in redundancy. Some alternatives include phrases like "solely to prevent" or "exclusively to evade".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

solely to prevent

Emphasizes prevention as the only reason.

exclusively to evade

Highlights the act of evading as the main goal.

simply to circumvent

Focuses on the act of bypassing or overcoming something.

only for the sake of avoiding

Stresses that avoidance is the single consideration.

just to steer clear of

Uses an informal tone to indicate avoidance.

merely to avert

Highlights the action of warding off a negative outcome.

with the sole aim of preventing

Emphasizes the intention to prevent something from happening.

in order to dodge

Suggests actively trying to evade something undesirable.

for no other reason than to avoid

Underscores that there's no other purpose besides avoidance.

precisely to preclude

Focuses on preventing something from even being possible.

FAQs

How can I use "purely to avoid" in a sentence?

You can use "purely to avoid" to indicate the sole reason for taking a particular action. For example, "Hunt's slow and measured consultation process was designed "purely to avoid" a judicial review."

What are some alternatives to "purely to avoid"?

Alternatives include "solely to prevent", "exclusively to evade", or "simply to circumvent", depending on the context and the nuance you wish to convey.

Is it correct to use "purely to avoid" in formal writing?

Yes, "purely to avoid" is appropriate for formal writing, especially when you need to emphasize the primary intention behind an action. However, ensure that the tone and context align with the overall formality of your writing.

What's the difference between "purely to avoid" and "in order to avoid"?

"Purely to avoid" emphasizes that avoidance is the only reason for an action, while "in order to avoid" simply states the intention to avoid something, without necessarily implying it's the sole reason. The former is more emphatic.