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
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Recent Examples of purposeful
She was measured and purposeful—every word landing like it had been considered long before the interview began.
—
Essence, 4 Mar. 2026
Details are precise, purposeful, and restrained.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2026
Taken together, what emerged in Riyadh is a market in purposeful transition, one where the consumer is younger, more digitally fluent and more proudly local.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
The writing didn’t necessarily have a purposeful driving imperative, but the show’s new cast was exceptional, and there were worse things to do than watch Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco and Michael Mosley executing Bill Lawrence’s dialogue and wild tonal shifts.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Essence, 4 Mar. 2026
Details are precise, purposeful, and restrained.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2026
Taken together, what emerged in Riyadh is a market in purposeful transition, one where the consumer is younger, more digitally fluent and more proudly local.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
The writing didn’t necessarily have a purposeful driving imperative, but the show’s new cast was exceptional, and there were worse things to do than watch Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco and Michael Mosley executing Bill Lawrence’s dialogue and wild tonal shifts.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeful
Adjective
-
The resolute tango between the personal and the practical is a hallmark of a cookbook humdinger.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In welcoming the group during a swearing-in ceremony, Fils-Aimé made an impassioned appeal for civic engagement in Haiti and insisted on the need for his new cabinet to take resolute action.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In critical areas such as lunar landers, the bill requires NASA to work with at least two commercial providers – a deliberate effort to avoid dependence on a single company.—
Svetla Ben-Itzhak,
Space.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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Texas is executing a deliberate strategy using modern incentives, a more predictable legal environment, and a significantly lower corporate tax burden.—
Steven Fulop,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In addition to making the streaming service easier to use and access, Blackburn is intent on delivering programming about tennis and its personalities that can lure in more casual fans.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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For all their faults, looksmaxxers are intent on de-fetishizing this particular commodity, revealing beauty to be the product of strenuous (and often deranging) labor.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Ellis made efforts to bring Jack Wilshere back into the academy, wanting that Arsenal connection embedded into the coaching leadership and conscious of the need to reintroduce a winning culture to the academy.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Police said the man was alert, conscious, and breathing when officers arrived.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Dengler endured endless torture and other miseries — escaping from prison was just the beginning of his ordeal in the jungle — but Bale plays him as a determined optimist, an indomitable spirit that cannot be crushed.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
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We are both disciplined, determined and accomplished men.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some local industry professionals have suggested to Deadline that the issue of the recommendations could still prove thorny down the line, even if Tuttle’s uptake of them would be voluntary.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
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The voluntary agreement has no enforcement mechanisms and ratepayers have no way to verify whether tech companies keep their promises, said Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group.—
Josh Boak,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Ellison faces no similar issues and has strong incentive to be decisive.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
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Machado portrayed the episode as a decisive turning point in Venezuela’s long political crisis.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Tuesday’s game featured intentional clock-stopping, game-extending fouls by the Heat.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
All actions have consequences and some are obviously intentional and predictable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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