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.
“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 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
On the job, Greenspan was a known abstruse speaker who admitted that his opaque, twisting rhetoric was a purposeful strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
"This has been a long and deeply purposeful journey," he says.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
With a green marker he draws purposeful lines between cities as if he knows exactly what he’s doing.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
