as in intentionally
with full awareness of what one is doing
the real estate agent purposely withheld information that would have discouraged us from buying the property
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Recent Examples of purposely
Democrats and protestors said the map purposely spreads Memphis' 64%-Black population into three majority-White districts.
—
Terry Collins, USA Today, 8 May 2026
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Sometimes acronyms are purposely devised to reinforce a message.
—Clarissa Brincat, Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
Pitchers like Jimmy Herget, Chase Dollander and Senzatela have been purposely scheduled for multiple innings, with the hope that late-game relievers won’t be toast in August.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposely
Terry Collins, USA Today, 8 May 2026
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Sometimes acronyms are purposely devised to reinforce a message.
—Clarissa Brincat, Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
Pitchers like Jimmy Herget, Chase Dollander and Senzatela have been purposely scheduled for multiple innings, with the hope that late-game relievers won’t be toast in August.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposely
Adverb
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Flores seeks evidence to further his claim that the league and several teams intentionally discriminated against him, and the coach has insisted his legal team gain access to personal devices of league and team employees for discovery purposes.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 June 2026
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The nervous system is the foundation that every other aspect of training is built on, and when athletes learn to train it intentionally, the results show up across sleep, readiness, and resilience.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Adverb
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More screen time is given over to her burgeoning friendship with firebrand suffragette Mary, played by singer Lily Allen in a deliberately anachronistic performance — her forthright speech and manner beamed in directly from the 21st century.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 June 2026
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The school has opted to proceed deliberately with the search and consider other candidates, while not ruling out Yormark by any means.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposely. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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