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Synonyms

purposefully

American  
[pur-puhs-fuh-lee] / ˈpɜr pəs fə li /

adverb

  1. in a determined or resolute way.

    Many runners break down in the marathon’s second half, but I stayed positive as I painfully and purposefully placed one foot in front of the other.

  2. in a thoughtful and focused way, with a serious desire to accomplish something.

    The Family Fun Cooking Classes are designed to educate, but more importantly, to encourage adults in our community to purposefully spend time with young people.

  3. with intention; deliberately; purposely.

    He maliciously and purposefully slammed the car door on my foot, resulting in a fracture.


Etymology

Origin of purposefully

purposeful ( def. ) + -ly

Compare meaning

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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.

To visually represent the protagonist's mental breakdown without making the single-room setting feel static, Chuprina says that he purposefully changed the camera lenses as the story progressed.

From BBC

I sat in the window, watching as she left the house, walked purposefully to the end of the street and waited at the corner.

From Literature

I’d asked her once what would have happened to me if I hadn’t tested positive for the active Glitching gene, and she’d been purposefully vague.

From Literature

Making a purposefully idiosyncratic retelling of a classic tale came with its own challenges.

From Los Angeles Times

We were led on by my sister purposefully and by my mother unintentionally.

From Literature