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purposely
[ pur-puhs-lee ]
adverb
- intentionally; deliberately:
He tripped me purposely.
I wore that suit purposely to make a good impression.
purposely
/ ˈpɜːpəslɪ /
adverb
- for a definite reason; on purpose
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Usage
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Other Words From
- un·purpose·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
Origin of purposely1
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Compare Meanings
How does purposely compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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Example Sentences
Other times in the deposition, she appeared purposely evasive.
What Murphy alleges in this case, though, is O’Brien is purposely telling officials at DHS to minimize a major threat, just so the president wouldn’t get mad.
They accuse the company of purposely pushing Plated to miss revenue targets following the merger, targets that could’ve resulted in potentially millions more in payouts to investors.
It’s a leader’s job to stop that from happening—to reinforce the new state and purposely make it harder to go back.
The purpose of these surveys, as Modern Retail has previously reported, is for Facebook to catch dropshippers who are purposely misrepresenting their shipping times.
But it certainly contributed, and purposely so, to the defeat of the tough Likud hardliner Yitzhak Shamir in 1992.
She throws gigantic, destructive parties, and purposely lights his ottomans on fire.
Was that something you had purposely incorporated from Scandal?
There, said Obama, “the United States has purposely avoided choosing sides.”
But what if I told you there was another burger chain that purposely pays above the minimum wage?
Only then did I own that by hook or by crook—and mostly by crook, I was forced to suspect—they had purposely given me the slip.
It was not purposely contrived, it was in automatic obedience to deeper impulses than she knew.
He purposely lied about the take because Carlson usually charged on the percentage basis.
The Governor purposely had the biggest American horses and the largest vehicles brought out to make an impression.
She seemed to be purposely emphasising the selfish part of her dissatisfaction out of a kind of reckless defiance.
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Related Words
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More About Purposely
What does purposely mean?
Purposely is used to describe an action done intentionally, deliberately, or for a specific reason.
The word purposefully means in a determined way or in a way that’s full of purpose. It should not be used to mean intentionally or deliberately.
Example: I show up late to parties purposely so I’m not the first one there.
Where does purposely come from?
The first records of purposely come from the late 1400s. It’s the adverb form of the noun purpose, meaning “a reason,” “intended result,” or “goal.” (The adverb-forming suffix -ly is usually added to adjectives, but in this case it’s added to a noun.)
When purposely means “intentionally” or “deliberately,” it’s synonymous with the phrase on purpose. It’s often used to indicate that an action was not accidental. Sometimes, it might even imply that an action was malicious, meaning it was done to harm someone, as in You purposely left that there so I would trip over it!
Purposely is also used to emphasize that an action was done with a specific purpose, as in All the paintings have been positioned purposely to recreate the original state of the collection.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to purposely?
- purpose (noun)
What are some synonyms for purposely?
What are some words that share a root or word element with purposely?
What are some words that often get used in discussing purposely?
What are some words purposely may be commonly confused with?
How is purposely used in real life?
Purposely is often used when talking about people’s intentions. It’s less commonly used than synonyms like intentionally, deliberately, and on purpose.
do you ever be extra boring purposely so that people will leave you alone
— 𝔞𝔟𝔢𝔫𝔞⁷🦋 (@__fatcheeks) May 13, 2020
People who call you on WhatsApp are purposely trying to be inconvenient
— Fintan Tarantino (@Fionnanof17) May 15, 2020
Mycenean Greeks buried their dead into beehive tombs. Those tombs are built in a way that purposely looks like a beehive. It consists if stone arranged to imitate the shape, which is left to be overgrown by vegetation. Like the barrows of Northern Europe, before the excavations.. pic.twitter.com/eSbzJcGecs
— Pallando the Blue (@KomninosM) May 13, 2020
Try using purposely!
Which of the following words would NOT be used to describe an action that was done purposely?
A. intentional
B. deliberate
C. accidental
D. conscious
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