Definition of purposeful
1 : having a purpose: such asa : meaningful purposeful activitiesb : intentional purposeful ambiguity
2 : full of determination was soft-spoken but purposeful
purposefulness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of purposeful in a Sentence
a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator
there's a difference between a purposeful lie and an accidental untruth
Recent Examples of purposeful from the Web
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More: No third trial for ex-UC cop Ray Tensing in shooting death of unarmed motorist Sam DuBose Deters believes the shooting was purposeful.
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What the line is not, though, is purposeful in any way but the meta.
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The success of the CEO Council showed us that the more opportunities our business community has to collaborate, the greater our ability to move our economy forward in a purposeful unified direction.
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There is a lot of chaos in the world right now, whether it’s implemented by our government, purposeful chaos or not.
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The nose is impressively distinctive, too; purposeful without being overly aggressive.
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A. I’ve been blessed to have found some very helpful and purposeful mentors throughout my career, such as Aaron Eggert and David Jacobsen.
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The menu is not large, and that is purposeful, Cano said.
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With its notion of meritocracy, the spelling bee was innocuous and purposeful — clean educational fun for all.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purposeful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of purposeful
1853
PURPOSEFUL Defined for English Language Learners
purposeful
playDefinition of purposeful for English Language Learners
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: having a clear aim or purpose
PURPOSEFUL Defined for Kids
purposeful
playDefinition of purposeful for Students
: having a clear intention or aim
purposefully
\-fə-lē\ adverbpurposefulness
nounLearn More about purposeful
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for purposeful Spanish Central: Translation of purposeful Nglish: Translation of purposeful for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of purposeful for Arabic speakers
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