purposeful
Americanadjective
-
having a definite purpose in view
-
fixed in one's purpose; determined
Usage
Purposefully is sometimes wrongly used where purposely is meant: he had purposely (not purposefully ) left the door unlocked
Other Word Forms
- purposefully adverb
- purposefulness noun
Etymology
Origin of purposeful
Explanation
Something purposeful is done on purpose: it's meant to achieve an aim. Lots of things happen accidentally or randomly, but other things have a purpose. Such things can be called purposeful. Going to college, starting a family, giving to a charity, and adopting a dog are all purposeful acts. People have a reason for doing them, and they want to accomplish something specific. Purposeful things are thought-out and intentional.
Vocabulary lists containing purposeful
Unit 1: Telling Details
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myPerspectives 8.3
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"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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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.
And their seemingly haphazard jumble is purposeful, reminding us that this is not a temple but a workshop, a place of ongoing activity in which new and experimental art is incubated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
A small share of companies offer a sabbatical — a long, purposeful break from work that generally lasts between six weeks and a year.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
Eligible studies involved planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful physical activity intended to improve physical and mental health.
From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026
What comes to my mind, though, are the wide shots of Mary traveling the pedestrian path beside Lake of the Isles with long, purposeful steps, unhurried yet anything but slow.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
They looked hard and purposeful, and Goodwife Cruff’s eyes glittered toward Kit with contempt and something else she could not interpret.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
