1
as in resolute
fully committed to achieving a goal
a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of purposeful
Here, his stabs at form feel more purposeful.
—
Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Experts say this decade is about deeper, more purposeful travel—here’s where to go next.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
July 23 – August 22 Playful sparks are mingling with purposeful focus now.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2026
Thriving means to live a fulfilling, purposeful and satisfying life, despite its challenges.
—Helen Dennis, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Experts say this decade is about deeper, more purposeful travel—here’s where to go next.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
July 23 – August 22 Playful sparks are mingling with purposeful focus now.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2026
Thriving means to live a fulfilling, purposeful and satisfying life, despite its challenges.
—Helen Dennis, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeful
Adjective
-
The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, grandmother, then 76, looked frail but resolute.—
Craig R. McCoy,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, grandmother, then 76, looked frail but resolute.—
Craig R. McCoy,
ProPublica,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Progress comes from clear thinking followed by deliberate movement.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
When Manning began teaching in the early 1990s, communication between teachers and parents moved at a slower, more deliberate pace.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike the director Tyler Perry, whose devotion to telling Black stories inspired him to build a parallel version of Hollywood in Atlanta, Fuqua has always been intent on succeeding within Hollywood itself.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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While its work was written, produced and performed largely by young Blacks from Detroit’s inner city, Gordy and Motown were intent on creating music for everyone, taking the earthy sounds of post-doo-wop R&B, giving them a melodic, commercial-friendly sheen and marketing them to the masses.—
Brian McCollum,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Welch has positioned these changes as necessary to combat potential changes to the Voting Rights Act, amid ongoing legal uncertainty over how courts will treat race-conscious redistricting.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The child, whose identity has not been disclosed, was reportedly conscious when responders arrived.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities said the boy struck him while riding what was initially reported as an e-bike but was later determined to be an off-highway motorcycle — a vehicle not permitted on public roadways in California.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
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One of the five was an MIT professor killed at his doorstep by a former Portuguese classmate who was later determined to be the Brown University mass shooter.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Both Vantor and Planet say that the decision to begin limiting imagery has been voluntary.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The honest answer may be that the Keynesian 15-hour workweek is coming—just not through voluntary corporate generosity.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Enforcement must be swift and decisive in removing fraudulent operators.—
Tom Koutsoumpas,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The same official also indicated that Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, is not necessarily the decisive factor in these discussions, but Nabih Berri, speaker of the nation's House, is the one with true authority, not Aoun.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Limited production, self-distribution, and low visibility can all play a role, and without intentional effort to build demand and relationships, their wines can remain just as absent from local lists.—
Maryam Ahmed,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
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Pair that focal point with a restrained color palette — greens plus one or two accent colors — and the entire space begins to feel intentional rather than incidental.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeful. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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