intentionality

[ in-ten-shuh-nal-i-tee ]
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noun
  1. the fact or quality of being done on purpose or with intent:The author’s choice here may not have been intentionally racially charged, but discrimination and prejudice are often not rooted in intentionality.

  2. an attitude of purposefulness, with a commitment to deliberate action:“Active hope” is a practice that does not require optimism; instead, it requires intentionality.

  1. Metaphysics.

    • the capacity of the mind to refer to an existent or nonexistent object:The mind has intentionality as it is directed toward something it affirms, desires, loves, or hates; but the something is not necessarily real.

    • (said of consciousness or a sign) the fact or property of pointing beyond itself:We relate to the world through intentionality—the capacity of consciousness to be about states of affairs outside itself.

Origin of intentionality

1
First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin intentiōnālitās, equivalent to intentional + -ity

Words Nearby intentionality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use intentionality in a sentence