Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

purposeful

American  
[pur-puhs-fuhl] / ˈpɜr pəs fəl /

adjective

  1. having a purpose.

  2. determined; resolute.

  3. full of meaning; significant.

purposeful British  
/ ˈpɜːpəsfʊl /

adjective

  1. having a definite purpose in view

  2. fixed in one's purpose; determined

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

First recorded in 1850–55; purpose + -ful

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.

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

Researchers now conclude that these markings were purposeful.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

I’m more than two years beyond my diagnosis and living a joyful, purposeful life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 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

Of course, such purposeful experiments cannot be carried out on human societies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.