PURPOSELESS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

purposeless

adjective

Definition of purposeless

as in aimless

having or seeming to have no purpose or reason I have to go to another purposeless meeting tonight. purposeless suffering

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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 purposeless Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless. — WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021 In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell talks about how the pursuit of productivity — driven by capitalism, competition, and consumption — has redirected our attention outward, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless. — refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2021 Although gender is effectively purposeless—if not irrelevant—in gaming, my brothers reflected society's obsession with forcing others to choose between pink or blue. — Jamie Valentino, Wired, 22 June 2021 These protests are nearly all disingenuous, false and specious, and meant to utilize fear to continue a tragic and purposeless war. — Matthew Hoh, CNN, 17 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for purposeless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless

Adjective

The film deals with an urban legend that a Nevada reservoir is a time portal, and the aimless group of teenage best friends who become obsessed with going back in history.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Youth sports, once the redoubt of aimless childhood play, have become hopelessly commercialized.

— Nora Kenney Mittiga, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of aimless

Adjective

There was another shot, about a meaningless void and sitcoms being the same thing.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Hours before the Yankees’ meaningless 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, reporters swarmed Anthony Volpe’s locker as he was seen taking grounders at third base.

— James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of meaningless

Adjective

Violent crime, once almost unknown on the island, is rising sharply—another sign of the state’s haphazard retreat.

— Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
With no clear guidance, haphazard and improvised efforts by companies to clean the homes left 6 in 10 residences still unsafe.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of haphazard

Adjective

Check-in and check-out are swift, valet has relatively little wait time, and the restaurant staff is accustomed to serving meals around performances at the Merrill Theater across the street.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2026
That might be a big casserole of stuffing, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or any situation in which adding too little salt would be a hard deficit to overcome later on.

— Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

Storming a podium at a meeting of academics is a pointless performative act.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
The behaviors run the full range, from tiny tweaks like stashing the phone across the room, killing pointless notifications and blocking off screen-free stretches, all the way to full-day commitments to unplug.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of pointless

Adjective

In the for-pay security suite, the VPN gets a slight bandwidth boost, doubling the free limit to 1 gigabyte per month.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
The tadpoles — some descended from frogs in the San Jacinto Mountains and others from the San Bernardino Mountains — were separated into two groups because of their slight genetic differences.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

purposefulness

purposeless

purposely

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Style

“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purposeless

adjective

Example Sentences

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