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purposeless

adjective

Definition of purposelessnext
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
  1. aimless
  2. meaningless
  3. haphazard
  4. minor
  5. little
  6. useless
  7. pointless
  8. slight
Adjective
  • Youth sports, once the redoubt of aimless childhood play, have become hopelessly commercialized.
    — Nora Kenney Mittiga, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Last year, the offense was aimless, punchless and ill-suited for Gio Lopez’s skill set.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of aimless
Adjective
  • Having a talent advantage is meaningless if the Horned Frogs aren’t focused on the opponent directly in front of them.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Eventually, my mother comes downstairs again and puts her arms around him and holds him, whispering something to him, words that to me are meaningless and incomprehensible.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 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
  • But there’s no reason for alarm; none of the pitchers drafted by the Marlins in July were used in a minor-league game.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The front camera uses a 135-degree field of view, which introduces minor edge distortion, but that's the price for capturing a broad swath of the road ahead.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • If that prediction misses, then manufacturers have little opportunity to change course.
    — Sally C. Pipes, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But my little Outlander sweeties, this is not just any reverend, this is Reverend Wakefield.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of little
Adjective
  • The key was in combining two advanced nanomaterials that were previously useless on their own.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • What Generalist Vendors Actually Solve For Horizontal AI vendors aren’t useless.
    — Kyle Nakatsuji, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of useless
Adjective
  • 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
  • Descano’s team has claimed prosecutions are pointless when the government’s own experts corroborate the insanity defense, while critics say his office is too quick to accept defendants’ narratives without a jury.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • Concerns about this recent deceleration aside, a slight quarter-to-quarter boost is obviously preferable to the bundle’s comparable loss of 953,000 customers between the first and second quarters of this year.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • There’s only a slight chance for thunderstorms over the weekend and the sun icon, missing for days and days, now shines on its main webpage.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

purposefulness
purposeless
purposely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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