PURPOSEFULNESS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

purposefulness

noun

as in decisiveness

firm or unwavering adherence to one's purpose approached the challenge with grim purposefulness

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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 purposefulness Yet his playing had an otherworldly serenity that contrasted with Williams’s gentle purposefulness. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 This month also reconnects you with a sense of purposefulness. — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefulness

Noun

Jones flashed his decisiveness and speed on the ensuing play, gaining 14 yards on a quarterback keeper.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
While Whitman has no grocery experience and little retail experience (from her time as CEO of eBay), she was brought in by Albertsons for her turnaround chops and decisiveness.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of decisiveness

Noun

Sandy’s medical expenses were submitted to Kaiser for possible reimbursement; a determination remains pending.

— Lance B. Fulford, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
The federal government will then issue its final determinations, and what happens next will be unexplored legal territory.

— Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of determination

Noun

According to reporting by Semafor on Monday, the decision came after Wall Street executives privately raised safety concerns about attending the event with the event’s organizers, including Saudi sovereign fund PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Prince Harry is opening up about his and wife Meghan Markle’s unexpected decision earlier this year to move back to the United Kingdom years after their dramatic fallout with the British royal family.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of decision

Noun

Heidi Levine, the Washington Post journalist brutally attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank last week, said the terrifying ordeal has only strengthened her resolve to continue covering the plight of Palestinians.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Rewarding President Vladimir Putin of Russia could encourage him to test NATO’s resolve in the Baltic states, Poland, Finland, or Sweden, raising the risk of a direct confrontation with the alliance.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of resolve

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purposefully

purposefulness

purposeless

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“Purposefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefulness. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purposefulness

noun

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