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
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
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
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
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
Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
Adjective
-
Nine years after hitting rock bottom with three NCAA bids and a majority of programs in an aimless malaise, the SEC collected on a concerted effort to prioritize the sport.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Responding to concerns that the party is somewhat aimless without an official leader, Schumer said Democrats have many talented leaders.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And the testing is meaningless unless people are also being connected to treatment as quickly as possible.—
Jennifer Lotito,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Shaking your fist at the fools who started the First World War and condemned millions to a meaningless death seems jejune; historians teach us to say that the generals did their best under impossible conditions.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The public, too, could become less tolerant of state action as DOGE’s drive to move fast yields haphazard mistakes.—
Brian Deese,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Too often, deals in the creator space are haphazard or misaligned.—
Ian Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As mentioned above, taking creatine in higher doses, such as 20 grams per day, may trigger minor side effects like water retention.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Commonly known as Tylenol, it's thought to reduce fever and relieve minor aches and pains by raising your body's pain threshold and regulating your body temperature.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Obstetricians say, at the end of the day, AFE is really just a product of bad luck, and there's little that can be done to prevent it.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
That the probe fizzled out came as little surprise.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Once the borer has entered the stem, insecticides are useless.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Though small, the defect made the telescope mostly useless to astronomers.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Most movies go nuts with exposition, because most scripts in development these days get studio or producer notes requiring pointless reiterations of plot points.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Such a debate is esoteric and, to some, a pointless distraction.—
Peter Baker,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This lightweight cream truly melts right in without the slightest bit of cast.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
25 Apr. 2025
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Some are skeptical given his slight wingspan and arm length and wonder if a move to left guard may eventually be necessary.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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