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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of purposefully
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, 4 June 2026
Louis, who attends one of Lestat’s concerts in the earlier episodes, but purposefully does not react to it.
—Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Stagg’s wife The play doesn’t include scenes with Stagg’s wife, Elizabeth, but Haig purposefully bookends the film with the couple together.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
But purposefully or not, CBS News’ changes in broadcast and political ideology have both cost them their remaining audience and alienated some remaining staff.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 28 May 2026
What the evidence suggests is that investing purposefully in school leadership—from preparation through the full arc of a principal's career—is one of the highest-leverage investments a district or state can make.
—Linda Darling-Hammond, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Arsenal purposefully recruited a group born within a few years of each other, who could mature together.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Designer pieces are styled purposefully to look undone or not fully completed.
—Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 14 May 2026
There is an official timekeeper who purposefully faces away from the drum to avoid any perception of bias.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2026
Louis, who attends one of Lestat’s concerts in the earlier episodes, but purposefully does not react to it.
—Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Stagg’s wife The play doesn’t include scenes with Stagg’s wife, Elizabeth, but Haig purposefully bookends the film with the couple together.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
But purposefully or not, CBS News’ changes in broadcast and political ideology have both cost them their remaining audience and alienated some remaining staff.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 28 May 2026
What the evidence suggests is that investing purposefully in school leadership—from preparation through the full arc of a principal's career—is one of the highest-leverage investments a district or state can make.
—Linda Darling-Hammond, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Arsenal purposefully recruited a group born within a few years of each other, who could mature together.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Designer pieces are styled purposefully to look undone or not fully completed.
—Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 14 May 2026
There is an official timekeeper who purposefully faces away from the drum to avoid any perception of bias.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
Adverb
-
Flores seeks evidence to further his claim that the league and several teams intentionally discriminated against him, and the coach has insisted his legal team gain access to personal devices of league and team employees for discovery purposes.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 June 2026
-
The nervous system is the foundation that every other aspect of training is built on, and when athletes learn to train it intentionally, the results show up across sleep, readiness, and resilience.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Adverb
-
Many cities and school districts are trying hard to line up job opportunities for young people.—
Dianna Douglas,
NPR,
6 June 2026
-
With his gregarious nature and hard-drinking demeanor, Lobo is an intimidating extraterrestrial mercenary and bounty hunter, but his origin story is brutal, even by those standards.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 June 2026
Adverb
-
More screen time is given over to her burgeoning friendship with firebrand suffragette Mary, played by singer Lily Allen in a deliberately anachronistic performance — her forthright speech and manner beamed in directly from the 21st century.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
The school has opted to proceed deliberately with the search and consider other candidates, while not ruling out Yormark by any means.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
Adverb
-
One big concern is that screens are intensively stimulating for young people because they are held up close and engage young viewers with things such as fast cuts and colors.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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By the end of the seventeenth century, sassafras had become one of the primary exports of the early English colony of Jamestown, and the aromatic bark was harvested intensively for shipment to European markets.—
Kari Traylor,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Maybe the bee wasn't purposely directing the ball towards the reward.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
7 June 2026
-
At one point Norris, the reigning world champion and last year’s Monaco winner, was asked by his team to purposely slow down and hold up Russell to try to help McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.—
Sahil Kapur,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Adverb
-
Instead, it will be shaped by intelligent systems that help physicians make better decisions, collaborate more effectively, and where the entire patient journey is diligently managed.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
But Thornton has been working diligently to get an increased role within the defense.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
But whoever does sign on will be intensely scrutinized while the Nielsen numbers are closely watched.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
However, researchers are increasingly exploring whether chronic stress, poor sleep, social isolation, and other lifestyle factors influence how intensely symptoms are experienced.—
Meggen Harris,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adverb
-
Jack appeared to be just as tall as his dad, who could be seen intently watching the game.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
-
Not since David Beckham arrived to MLS in 2007 had the world so intently focused its attention of American domestic soccer.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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