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
More than 100,000 delegates walk purposefully around eight cavernous halls, each packed with the technology of the future.
—
Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
With such a purposefully sparse scenic design and almost nothing in the way of splashy special effects besides some artful projections and the aforementioned trap doors, the actors are everything here.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
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, 10 Mar. 2026
Their wide cut, the loose leg, the waist-defining rise, and the purposefully falling hemline all work together to create a silhouette that exudes confidence.
—Alex Sales, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2026
De Bremaeker alleged that the family’s location and status were purposefully withheld by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in violation of federal law.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Miller said avoiding commercial terminals is purposefully built into RetrievAir’s business model.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
Many observers remained unswayed Tuesday, concerned that the snippets of OpenAI’s contract with the Pentagon published by the company remained purposefully vague and provided carve-outs for domestic surveillance by various intelligence agencies within the Defense Department.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
Of course, all of this could simply be a misdirect, with the US Air Force purposefully putting a render out that looks nothing like the real F-47.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
With such a purposefully sparse scenic design and almost nothing in the way of splashy special effects besides some artful projections and the aforementioned trap doors, the actors are everything here.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
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, 10 Mar. 2026
Their wide cut, the loose leg, the waist-defining rise, and the purposefully falling hemline all work together to create a silhouette that exudes confidence.
—Alex Sales, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2026
De Bremaeker alleged that the family’s location and status were purposefully withheld by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in violation of federal law.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Miller said avoiding commercial terminals is purposefully built into RetrievAir’s business model.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
Many observers remained unswayed Tuesday, concerned that the snippets of OpenAI’s contract with the Pentagon published by the company remained purposefully vague and provided carve-outs for domestic surveillance by various intelligence agencies within the Defense Department.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
Of course, all of this could simply be a misdirect, with the US Air Force purposefully putting a render out that looks nothing like the real F-47.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
Adverb
-
His practice can be intentionally repetitive, reflecting the monotony of cancer treatment, and inspires viewers to meditate with the movement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The variety of these designs show Radić to be an architect who defies categorization — and one who intentionally eschews a signature style.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Dallas Lincoln's Jada Patterson (24) drives hard to the basket during first quarter action against Fredericksburg.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Sustaining success is assuredly much harder.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Some of Fiedler’s fellow plaintiffs were charged with deliberately misidentifying people as gang members, but a judge later dismissed the case against them.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Trump would not deliberately help Massie after his remarkably personal attacks against the congressman and even his new wife last month.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Young people feel this most intensively.—
Stuart A. Spencer,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
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In Danbury, as in many cities across the state, our planning and legal staff are working intensively to interpret the new requirements in order to implement them by the July 1 deadline.—
Waleed Albakry,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The 5-foot-4 Smith was purposely being guarded by the 6-1 Robinson.—
Eric Sondheimer
Columnist
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Agbim missed his first free throw but made the second, and then purposely shot at the front of the rim on the final attempt to run out the clock.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Hanson continued to cause problems for Christensen — now at Barcelona — by sticking diligently to his left flank duties, and Filipe Morais levelled the score 15 minutes from time.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Each ingredient is diligently vetted and each product is exhaustively tested (including a microbial analysis) for heavy metals, pesticides, solvent residues, environmental contaminants, and common allergens including gluten.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Here, books that can seem overwhelming—books of dreams, infinity, mysteries—turn out to be intensely accessible, offering so many different ways to read them and think with them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
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The weather service warns, however, that a late spring frost may only provide temporary pollen relief, as levels can return intensely later in the season.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Taking the first three rows of seats, the family listened intently as Bumgarner announced the charges.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
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Quenneville remained intently focused on the NHL during his four years away from the bench, watching games every night on television from his home in Florida and staying in contact with his countless friends in the game.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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