1
as in intentionally
with full awareness of what one is doing
he purposefully chose the more difficult route to the mountain summit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hard
with great effort or determination
strode purposefully into the boss's office, determined to ask for a raise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of purposefully
Look for ways to gamify tedious tasks or purposefully try to have a good attitude about upcoming chores.
—
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Attorneys for Meta and YouTube argued their platforms aren’t purposefully harmful and addictive.
—Rufina Chow, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Europe had famously fallen behind in science advancements by the Middle Ages, and the Spanish ruler’s court purposefully sought out and translated Islamic math, astronomy, and medical knowledge.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
In October 2025, the the La Crosse County District Attorney and Ridglan Farms agreed that the facility would surrender its Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection license and would not sell dogs purposefully bred for biomedical research, according to WKOW 27.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026
Where the latter brought incredible jokes and plenty of heart, the former is purposefully heartless and half-intentionally predictable.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Johnson purposefully missed a free throw to try stealing an extra possession for Adebayo.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Attorneys for Meta and YouTube argued their platforms aren’t purposefully harmful and addictive.
—Rufina Chow, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Europe had famously fallen behind in science advancements by the Middle Ages, and the Spanish ruler’s court purposefully sought out and translated Islamic math, astronomy, and medical knowledge.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
In October 2025, the the La Crosse County District Attorney and Ridglan Farms agreed that the facility would surrender its Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection license and would not sell dogs purposefully bred for biomedical research, according to WKOW 27.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026
Where the latter brought incredible jokes and plenty of heart, the former is purposefully heartless and half-intentionally predictable.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Johnson purposefully missed a free throw to try stealing an extra possession for Adebayo.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
Adverb
-
Allegheny County said South Park intentionally keeps its herd small, and sometimes individual bison are traded with zoos and wildlife preserves to keep the herd genetics healthy and diverse.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The term refers to trees or shrubs that have not been planted intentionally, but instead have been seeded by wind, birds or animals.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
They are being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
There is serious concern that a stoppage that costs games could dampen the enthusiasm the sport worked hard to rebuild.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Modern and understated, the design is deliberately pared back—a welcome antidote to the constant hum of New York City.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
There are many good reasons to intensively treat high blood pressure, but the benefits accumulate over many years.—
Mara Gordon,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Young people feel this most intensively.—
Stuart A. Spencer,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
And, mail-in ballots are purposely designed for fraud.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In its complaint, the state accused Meta of purposely designing features like infinite scroll and auto-play for videos to keep kids hooked on the apps, leading them into depression, anxiety, and self-harm.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Caleb practiced the Chappell Roan hit diligently with his piano teacher, Lori Stemmer, even rehearsing in his inflatable suit.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
For 10 years, Frances has worked diligently to become the perfect wife for Jo.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
These words were intensely politically damaging to Biden, yet Hur did not worry that Biden lacked a legal forum to contest Hur’s assessment.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Occasionally the focus drops to the fishermen’s crustacean quarry in the deep, also guarded and unhurried but intensely vulnerable; the man-lobster parallel isn’t stretched to the point of contrivance, but the film takes a thoughtfully holistic view of all the region’s living inhabitants.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Dressed in beige prison outfits and separated from each other by their lawyers, Maduro and his wife wore headsets to hear the translation of the proceedings into Spanish and appeared to be listening intently as the arguments were presented.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
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As Truell takes a Zoom call, the image of Caro—legendary biographer of Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses, known for his exhaustive, decades-long research—looms over his shoulder, sweatered, bespectacled, writing intently.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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