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
-
And like plenty of other dads of aimless 18-year-olds, Richard thought his son needed direction.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
-
As in those sitcoms, our hero is a single, aimless, middle-aged dad.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But that’s a dangerous game of both spring training numbers, which are largely meaningless, and small sample sizes.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
What on Tuesday night looked like a largely meaningless game with only minor seeding implications at the conference tournament suddenly took on greater importance 24 hours later.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Left-hander Marco Gonzales, a veteran coming back from flexor tendon surgery and in camp on a minor-league deal, followed with another three scoreless innings.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This will be the period when the threat of severe weather is highest, with large hail, damaging winds and minor flooding as the main concerns throughout the afternoon.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The historic district is just a few blocks wide, with the Gulf on one side, the Intracoastal on the other, and a walkable little downtown dotted with shops and galleries in between.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
When three Bruins starters — Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker — joined the UCLA dance team for a halftime performance at a men’s basketball game on March 3, Leger-Walker viewed it as just a fun little bonding moment and an expansion of the team’s intentional joy.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Generative AI in medicine is neither universally embraced as perfect nor completely dismissed as useless.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Computer nerds who’ve never left their basements and mama’s cooking are trying, and have taken over the sport with useless numbers, or analytics.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the moment felt pointless.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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The end result is a cultured information of markets that supports thoughtful techniques, reliable forecasting and knowledgeable positioning without pointless complexity.—
Ascend Agency,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The slight kitten heels add a feminine touch, while the open design keeps your feet cool all day long.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Porcelain and ceramic tiles are both suitable, with porcelain offering a slight edge due to its better heat resistance.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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