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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 purposely
At the height of the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009, Pittsburgh was purposely chosen because of its history of overcoming past economic trauma and building new prosperity.
—
Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
In the letter, the senators said that the financing was purposely designed to avoid triggering mandatory review by the Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS) in the United States, which assesses investments in businesses that could pose a national security risk.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
Now, the 1984 track that actually describes the thoughts of a disillusioned Vietnam veteran lamenting his meager options back home is purposely being reimagined to fight an effort to change a crucial part of the Constitution.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2026
But Democrats have purposely left out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from those proposals while negotiations with the White House continue.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposely
Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
In the letter, the senators said that the financing was purposely designed to avoid triggering mandatory review by the Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS) in the United States, which assesses investments in businesses that could pose a national security risk.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026
Now, the 1984 track that actually describes the thoughts of a disillusioned Vietnam veteran lamenting his meager options back home is purposely being reimagined to fight an effort to change a crucial part of the Constitution.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2026
But Democrats have purposely left out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from those proposals while negotiations with the White House continue.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purposely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposely
Adverb
-
Police said Ebert intentionally drove his car, struck the neighbor, and took off.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Mirman began his career in Hollywood as a stand-up comedian, known for his intellectual and often intentionally awkward style of comedy.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The central allegation in the Dallas County case is that Morris and Gateway Church benefitted financially from concealing the abuse of Clemishire, and that the church deliberately issued false statements about the circumstances after Clemishire came forward with the allegations.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Lumières would remain comparatively grounded, sometimes working in what could be called actualities, other times in deliberately fictional sequences.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposely. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
