pure and simple
Just the basics
Pure and simple emphasizes that something is exactly what it's stated to be, without complication or qualification: It was greed, pure and simple.
The phrase typically follows the noun it modifies, adding rhetorical force to a blunt assessment.
Despite the redundancy of pairing two near-synonyms, the expression has become a fixed idiom for cutting through ambiguity.
- absoluteTotal, without qualification
- plainBasic and unremarkable
- sheerAbsolute; also diaphanous
- categoricalUnconditional and explicit
- unadornedLacking decoration or ornament
outright · stark · cut and dried · undeniable · genuine · mere · nothing more · straightforward · clear-cut · black and white · literal · unembellished · bare bones · undiluted · unvarnished · unadulterated · no strings attached · unalloyed
- expressions of simplicityeasy, basic, plain, clear, straightforward
pure and simplecomplicated
Difficult to understand
complex · convoluted · intricate · elaborate · multifaceted
pure and simplequalified
Meeting necessary standards
ambiguous · equivocal · hedged · conditional · contingent
pure and simpleadulterated
Diluted with inferior substances
impure · mixed · diluted · contaminated · corrupted
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