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
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.
Ms. Proske, best known in New York as co-founder of the unorthodox Heartbeat Opera, directed the intimate scenes as tight close-ups, and her many eye-catching moments, whether stage-filling or small-scale, were always purposeful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
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 sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Was that purposeful on your part, to try to show the other side?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The murmur among people was more purposeful, like bees in a hive.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
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.
