purposefully

adverb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purposefully Apple, like most services, layers its shows purposefully so one ends and another begins, or has already just begun. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The league would do right to purposefully promote Wilson, who has won three WNBA titles, four league MVPs and two Olympic gold medals, as much as featuring Clark as the face of the league. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 As progress at the artillery plant continued to stall, paranoia grew and rumors swirled among the American workers that the Turkish employees from Repkon might be purposefully sabotaging the machinery. — ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2026 Why are Black and brown institutions—like HBCUS or universities in Africa or Mexico—purposefully under resourced? — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026 That is inaccurate, not what the investigation covers, and viral posts on X are misleading people either through incompetence or purposefully misleading information. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Although the bars are not related, all three arrived on the scene under purposefully mysterious circumstances. — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026 But critics argue that many of these ads are purposefully created to be deceptive — especially deepfakes that seek to use someone else’s likeness and put words in their mouth. — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026 It is kept purposefully dark to recreate the dark conditions of the deep ocean, which has zero sunlight. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
  1. intentionally
  2. hard
  3. deliberately
  4. intensively
  5. purposely
  6. diligently
  7. intensely
  8. intently
Adverb
  • Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla intentionally drove into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo and that Flanagan was an unintended victim who happened to be in the car.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Portman actually released no statement, and many critics noted that Cusk’s novel is more of an intentionally disorienting examination of the artifices of self and celebrity than a tell-all roman à clef.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of intentionally
Adverb
  • Some days, trying harder just gives the problem more opportunities to annoy you.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • General Daily Insight for September 01, 2026 Some days, trying harder just gives the problem more opportunities to annoy you.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of hard
Adverb
  • Smotrich and his partners have dispersed new settlements in places with high tactical importance, deliberately separating areas under Palestinian control to disrupt the territorial continuity that could one day form the basis of a Palestinian state.
    — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In other words, the curtains were part of the plan, not a last-minute attempt to conceal thousands of empty seats — and Carlile was working within an arena deliberately reshaped to fit the occasion.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of deliberately
Adverb
  • Owning several cars, intensively studying both the new and used car markets and testing so many vehicles has taught me a lot about what makes a great automobile.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The team tested intensively with real drivers in multiple countries.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of intensively
Adverb
  • These fish can’t really be classified as invasive, however, because the state purposely stocked the South American imports in the early 1980s for two reasons.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The museum in the book is a purposely generic version of a recognizable major art museum like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of purposely
Adverb
  • This person started out diligently highlighting and taking notes.
    — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
  • From 1908 until his death in 1947, he was largely confined to the property’s main home under specialized psychiatric care, while Katherine lived elsewhere, diligently funding research to find a cure.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of diligently
Adverb
  • That in turn, could create conflict with Kiffin, who couldn’t understand why his boss jumped on him so frequently and intensely.
    — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Fashion companies can spend nine to 12 months developing, producing and distributing collections, leaving them poorly equipped to respond when weather arrives earlier, later or more intensely than expected.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensely
Adverb
  • Greg Derr / Pool via The Patriot Ledger During Reddington’s closing argument, Clancy’s parents seemed to be intently focused.
    — Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • This commitment to investing in people, listening intently, and acting on feedback drives continuous improvement, proving that exceptional service is a deliberate outcome of strong leadership and a responsive culture.
    — Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of intently

Browse Nearby Words

purposeful
purposefully
purposefulness
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Cite this Entry

“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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