goal-oriented
Americanadjective
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(of a person) focused on reaching a specific objective or accomplishing a given task; driven by purpose.
goal-oriented teams of teachers.
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(of a project or plan) designed to achieve desired results; targeted.
a goal-oriented budget.
Etymology
Origin of goal-oriented
First recorded in 1935–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Critics and audiences responded in turn, taking an immediate shine to Bryan’s doofiness and contrasting it with Alice’s purposeful, goal-oriented approach to a zombie apocalypse.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The profile describes his character traits as “hardworking, goal-oriented, decisive, true to his principles, lover of freedom.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Being a father has provided the obsessively goal-oriented McVay something new to “chase,” Whitworth said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
The NAc has a critical role in the learning and execution of goal-oriented behaviors.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024
The European spirit is knowledge oriented, while the American perfectionist spirit is goal-oriented.
From The Brain, A Decoded Enigma by Dorin Teodor Moisa
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
