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
  • 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
  • Functional performance has always been counted in throughput, cost per transaction and cycle time, and those measures become close to meaningless once the routine work runs itself.
    — Charisma Glassman, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • If all of City’s results are to be scrapped this season, next season, or in four seasons to come, then whatever happens in the meantime is somewhat meaningless.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 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
  • The drawbacks of the home are more minor inconveniences than major considerations.
    — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Stotko was struck by an e-moto being operated by a minor two years ago.
    — Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • But little progress has been made towards implementing a deal to end the conflict, which includes terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The Salem witch trials of 1692 carved out an enduring and powerful niche in American history for this little town, and this intimate, kitschy museum does an excellent job telling the story.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of little
Adjective
  • People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Refuse outright, and the tool is useless to whoever authorizes it.
    — Ethan Pham, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of useless
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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Cite this Entry

“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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