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
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Recent Examples of purposefully
Europe’s overreliance on US military tech The US’s F-53 program purposefully limits the changes foreign customers can make to the jet’s software.
—
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 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, 16 Feb. 2026
There are purposefully no drone shots.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The garments are purposefully ratty, as if to prove that signs of wear and tear are also signs of cherishing.
—Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
Rather than allowing its typical lightness, Benning layers their brushstrokes purposefully so as to establish new kinds of relationships, both pictorial and material.
—Alex Bacon, Artforum, 10 Feb. 2026
Another video shows the person purposefully tilting their head down while nearing the front archway.
—Ty O'Neil, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
When activated, the leg shells pick up the heels and propel the feet purposefully forward.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
The company purposefully made its name all lowercase.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 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, 16 Feb. 2026
There are purposefully no drone shots.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The garments are purposefully ratty, as if to prove that signs of wear and tear are also signs of cherishing.
—Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
Rather than allowing its typical lightness, Benning layers their brushstrokes purposefully so as to establish new kinds of relationships, both pictorial and material.
—Alex Bacon, Artforum, 10 Feb. 2026
Another video shows the person purposefully tilting their head down while nearing the front archway.
—Ty O'Neil, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
When activated, the leg shells pick up the heels and propel the feet purposefully forward.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
The company purposefully made its name all lowercase.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
Adverb
-
With only five suites, the property feels intentionally elusive.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Zuckerberg was grilled for more than five hours in a Los Angeles courtroom over whether Instagram is intentionally addictive and will face further scrutiny as the case progresses.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
What has been hardest is seeing ordinary lives, families, young people, civilians slowly reduced to headlines or abstractions, rather than recognized as individuals living under immense and sustained pressure.—
Emily Chan,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Essentially, what seem like small tweaks have noticeable impacts on control when pushing the ski hard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Several whistleblowers from Maryland’s Department of Human Services alleged a troubling scheme to deliberately leave correctable errors uncorrected in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments, artificially keeping the error rate high to delay federal penalties.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
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The problem is that teachers’ empathy and impulse to make the world a better place are deliberately used by people who promote political agendas through teacher training, curricula and professional norms.—
Dana Stangel-Plowe,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
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
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This winter -- the fourth of Russia's full-scale invasion -- has seen Moscow intensively target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, wreaking havoc on the national grid and precipitating rolling and extended blackouts for millions of Ukrainians.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Silver firmly stated that the investigation and its findings were not purposely delayed while the Clippers host this All-Star weekend.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Silver firmly stated that the investigation and its findings were not purposely delayed while the Clippers host All-Star weekend.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Caregivers — nannies, child care workers, preschool teachers, stay-at-home parents, grandparents who swoop in to help — work diligently behind the scenes.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Reaching across five hourlong episodes, Peter Hammond’s BBC miniseries diligently translates the novel to the screen, with video soundstage interiors jutting up against celluloid exteriors.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The announcers need to study intensely, learning details not only about an athlete, but what a particular sport means to the populace of a country halfway around the world.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
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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,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Daytona Beach News-Journal / Imagn Images Across the diamond, a woman in her 50s listens intently to another instructor’s critique.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
After completing fielding drills with Washington and Jolbert Cabrera, the fundamentals coach for Triple-A Sacramento, Eldridge listened intently to Washington’s defensive guidance for several minutes.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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