telic

[ tel-ik, tee-lik ]

/ ˈtɛl ɪk, ˈti lɪk /

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adjective

Grammar. expressing end or purpose: a telic conjunction.

tending to a definite end.

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Origin of telic

First recorded in 1840–50, telic is from the Greek word telikós pertaining to an end or cause. See tel-², -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM telic

tel·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·tel·ic, adjectiveun·tel·ic, adjective

Words nearby telic

telfer, telferage, telford, Telford and Wrekin, telharmonium, telic, Telidon, teliospore, telium, Telkom, tell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use telic in a sentence

Hence the supernatural and telic forces, to which the scientist had had recourse, have been rendered superfluous.
The Riddle of the Universe at the close of the nineteenth century|Ernst Haeckel
Purposive progress rather than unconscious, telic rather than genetic, is the order of the evolution of society.
Society|Henry Kalloch Rowe
Certain families may definitely determine to modify their habits, and within a few years accomplish a telic change.
Society|Henry Kalloch Rowe
But with the awakening of the social consciousness and a quickening of the social conscience has come telic progress.
Society|Henry Kalloch Rowe

He has learned the futility of telic endeavor, and knows the delight of drifting along with the whimsicalities of Chance.
The Road|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for telic

telic

/ (ˈtɛlɪk) /

adjective

directed or moving towards some goal; purposeful

(of a clause or phrase) expressing purpose

Word Origin for telic

C19: from Greek telikos final, from telos end

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