purposeless

[pur-puh s-lis]

adjective

having no purpose or apparent meaning.

having no aim or goal; aimless: to lead a purposeless existence.

Origin of purposeless

First recorded in 1545–55; purpose + -less

Related formspur·pose·less·ly, adverbpur·pose·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for purposelessness

Historical Examples of purposelessness

His purposelessness and his love for Robert alone kept him where he was.
Robert Falconer
George MacDonald
He's a quiet soul, who ponders on the purposelessness of nature.
The Road to Damascus
August Strindberg
He brought out, sharply cut and certain, the immense effect of purposelessness in London that I was already indistinctly feeling.
Tono Bungay
H. G. Wells
I demur, therefore, to the inference of "purposelessness" which I gather that Professor Haeckel draws from these organs.
Evolution, Old & New
Samuel Butler
A second cause for our uncertainty lies in the almost universal human habit of purposelessness.
Analyzing Character
Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb

British Dictionary definitions for purposelessness

purposeless

adjective

having no fixed plan or intention

Derived Formspurposelessly, adverbpurposelessness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for purposelessness

purposeless

adj.

1550s, from purpose (n.) + -less. Related: Purposelessly; purposelessness.