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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Recent Examples of purposeless
But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become?
—
Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
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
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Marine biologists had thought that the pelvic bones were purposeless in the marine environment, and would eventually disappear given another million or so years of evolution.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
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
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Marine biologists had thought that the pelvic bones were purposeless in the marine environment, and would eventually disappear given another million or so years of evolution.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
Adjective
-
Maia has help from her friends Charlie (Jordan Firstman), a pop star stylist and Alani (True Whitaker), an aimless movie biz nepo baby.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The story of an aimless college grad’s dalliance with an older woman—only to fall for her daughter—is as sophisticated as comedies, and coming of age stories, get.—
John Ortved,
Vogue,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Diplomacy is preferable, but diplomacy without credibility is meaningless.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Sadly, these beliefs become meaningless when college turns into a test of how much a person can endure instead of a career path.—
Liam McCusker,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The rooms Due to the building’s haphazard original layout, no two of the 14 bedrooms are the same.—
Chris Schalkx,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The state auditor found that money was poorly tracked thanks to a haphazard, spend-first, ask-questions-later approach from the governor’s office.—
Brian Jones,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The most minor miscalculation can botch a landing.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Its versatile uses range from nourishing the lips to minor wound care—helping maintain hydration along the way.—
Kathleen Baird-Murray,
Vogue,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dick is sympathetic to Leroy’s perspective, noting that being Black in the military means having your personal life scrutinized, which is little comfort for Charlotte.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Brown’s statement on Monday was mostly useless corporate-speak.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This tiny amount of copper acts as a molecular steering wheel, preventing sugar molecules from shattering into useless carbon dioxide.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Speaking with a rioter is pointless.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Being a reader means cultivating a relationship with the world that, by most standards, can seem pointless and counterproductive.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The ice punishes the slightest miscalculations, demands the sharpest of focus.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One report found there may be a slight benefit to moderate drinking, while the other concluded that even one drink a day was linked to a wide range of harms.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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