as in intentionally
with full awareness of what one is doing
the Federal Reserve purposively controls the supply of money in order to keep a lid on inflation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposively
Adverb
-
His practice can be intentionally repetitive, reflecting the monotony of cancer treatment, and inspires viewers to meditate with the movement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026 -
The variety of these designs show Radić to be an architect who defies categorization — and one who intentionally eschews a signature style.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies -- claims that Zelenskyy denies.—
LORNE COOK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The restrictions have disrupted the daily lives of millions of residents and hit businesses that rely on mobile internet, leading Muscovites to revert to cash — and some are questioning whether their government is doing it deliberately.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
This was a band that very purposely marched to its own drummer, in other words… even if that drummer, Helen, had a unique approach to tempo and liked to stick random fills in the middle of verses.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
After sinking the first of his two shots, Reaves purposely missed the second off the front-left side of the rim, the ball falling to the single side with Jokic in wait.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Purposively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposively. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
