purposeless

adjective

pur·​pose·​less ˈpər-pəs-ləs How to pronounce purposeless (audio)
: having no purpose : aimless, meaningless
purposelessly adverb
purposelessness noun

Examples of purposeless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Marine biologists had thought that the pelvic bones were purposeless in the marine environment, and would eventually disappear given another million or so years of evolution. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014 But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become? Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022 Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless. WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021 In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell talks about how the pursuit of productivity — driven by capitalism, competition, and consumption — has redirected our attention outward, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless. refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2021 Although gender is effectively purposeless—if not irrelevant—in gaming, my brothers reflected society's obsession with forcing others to choose between pink or blue. Jamie Valentino, Wired, 22 June 2021 These protests are nearly all disingenuous, false and specious, and meant to utilize fear to continue a tragic and purposeless war. Matthew Hoh, CNN, 17 May 2021 In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020 Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things? USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purposeless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of purposeless was circa 1552

Dictionary Entries Near purposeless

Cite this Entry

“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purposeless. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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