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

The Fed’s Mandate However, Trump’s criticism is largely at cross-purposes with the Fed’s mandate. —Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

To counterbalance the growing influence of Iran, whose aims remain at cross-purposes with those of Turkey, Ankara has sought to cultivate local and regional allies. —Galip Dalay, Foreign Affairs, 24 Nov. 2016

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

Rhymes for at cross-purposes

• purposes