at cross-purposes

idiom

: in a way that causes confusion or failure because people are working or talking with different goals or purposes

We'll never succeed together if we continue to work at cross-purposes (with each other).

It became clear that they were talking at cross-purposes.

Examples of at cross-purposes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the years, these groups have worked together and at cross-purposes, too, driven by competing visions of history. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

The fact that the session is filmed for consumption by the very public Alec claims to want to avoid does seem at cross-purposes with his expressed desire. —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025

That appeared to put the Bureau of Prisons at cross-purposes with the executive order. —Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

In an otherwise simplistic story of good versus evil, watching two good guys at cross-purposes is often fun. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for at cross-purposes

• purposes