Synonyms of purposeful

purposeful

adjective

ˈpər-pəs-fəl 

1

as in resolute

fully committed to achieving a goal

a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator

Synonyms & Similar Words

• resolute
• intent
• determined
• decisive
• positive
• confident
• single-minded
• firm
• resolved
• bound
• out
• bent (on or upon)
• serious
• do-or-die
• adamant
• willful
• set
• hell-bent (on or upon)
• persistent
• vehement
• earnest
• on one's mettle
• sure
• certain
• wilful
• steady
• hardened
• cocksure
• stubborn
• bitter
• unhesitating
• unwavering
• unrelenting
• uncompromising
• tenacious
• unswerving
• unfaltering
• perverse
• implacable
• rigid
• unyielding
• mulish
• obdurate
• unbending
• headstrong
• inflexible
• dogged
• pigheaded
• immovable
• hardheaded
• pertinacious
• adamantine
• self-willed
• hard

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undetermined
• unresolved
• indecisive
• hesitant
• uncertain
• irresolute
• faltering
• suspicious
• doubtful
• dubious
• unsure
• skeptical
• unsettled
• distrustful
• unconvinced
• undecided
• reluctant
• mistrustful
• wavering
• vacillating
• weak-kneed
• loath
• indisposed
• loth
• disinclined
• loathe

2

as in deliberate

made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing

there's a difference between a purposeful lie and an accidental untruth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deliberate
• conscious
• voluntary
• intentional
• intended
• willed
• willful
• wilful
• purposive
• knowing
• planned
• witting
• thoughtful
• calculated
• designed
• reasoned
• premeditated
• set
• optional
• elective
• considered
• weighed
• volunteer
• discretionary
• advised
• studied
• measured
• premeditative
• prepense

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unintentional
• inadvertent
• random
• haphazard
• accidental
• incidental
• chance
• unwitting
• aimless
• purposeless
• sudden
• necessary
• desultory
• abrupt
• impetuous
• nondeliberate
• involuntary
• nonpurposive
• spontaneous
• mandatory
• compulsory
• hit-or-miss
• casual
• required
• forced
• instinctive
• obligatory
• impulsive
• impromptu
• ordered
• extemporaneous
• coerced
• unpremeditated
• nonelective
• unforced

Examples of purposeful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People — whether purposeful, reckless or simply careless — are responsible for about 95% of California’s wildfires. —Calmatters, Orange County Register, 1 Aug. 2024

However, the discipline, with its emphasis on purposeful practice, mindful focus, mental toughness, and adaptability, provides some valuable lessons for today’s business leaders. —Juan Carlos Holgado michael D. Watkins, Harvard Business Review, 16 Aug. 2024

And so that could have been purposeful emergency savings or just money people happen to have sloshing around, but that's the average. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 15 Aug. 2024

Across the globe, hotels like this one are embracing sustainable and purposeful landscape designs as part of a broader commitment to environmental stewardship. —Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Aug. 2024