purposive

adjective

ˈpər-pə-siv How to pronounce purposive (audio)
Definition of purposivenext
as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing facial tics and other unconscious movements that one would not normally call purposive actions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 purposive The character dimension of transcendence underpins purposive leadership by supplying the steady, renewable energy that allows leaders to act with intention rather than impulse. — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Strengthening transcendence, with its associated behaviors of being purposive, inspired, optimistic, creative, and future-oriented, helps to broaden your perspective and see beyond the immediate challenges. — Mary Crossan, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 For Defoe, meaning is purposive and theological, purposive because theological. — James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 Sporadic outbursts of feeling are converted into purposive and unremitting activity. — Aldous Huxley, Harper's Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposive
  1. deliberate
  2. voluntary
  3. conscious
  4. intentional
  5. intended
  6. willed
Adjective
  • My decision to pursue space infrastructure is a deliberate choice to help ensure that African women have a meaningful role in designing humanity’s next frontier.
    — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • Film Independent President Juan Devis described the evolution as a deliberate break from legacy recognition toward something more active.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of deliberate
Adjective
  • Jurors will decide whether Payton and Martin are guilty of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter in the women’s deaths; or if they will be found innocent of criminal charges out of self-defense.
    — Darrell Smith July 16, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
  • The Defense Department will test the testosterone levels of service members 30 and older, and offer voluntary testosterone replacement therapy to those with low testosterone levels, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 16 July 2026
Definition of voluntary
Adjective
  • For Bridges, the record represents a conscious effort to offer some light at a time when that can feel increasingly elusive.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 17 July 2026
  • The person who started that rumor is the present-day, extremely status-conscious Queen Dowager (Our Unwritten Seoul’s Jang Young-nam), who is furious at the idea her husband would make a lowly maid a concubine.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of conscious
Adjective
  • California officials have disputed that idea, explaining that the state's home care program has grown because of an intentional strategy to keep people out of more expensive nursing homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • However, intentional recovery, through activities like hobbies and psychological detachment, is vital.
    — Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of intentional
Adjective
  • Christopher Nolan’s newest mammoth IMAX film opens today, and Sacramento is home to one of only a handful of theaters nationwide that can screen the film in its intended format.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • The problem is that it’s been quite literally inaccessible, at least in its intended form.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of intended
Adjective
  • Some of Thomas’s critique appeared to be aimed at weak-willed conservatives, including his fellow-Justices, for being, as Thomas perceives it, too spineless to stand up for the ideals enshrined in the Declaration.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
  • Meanwhile, gracious but iron-willed family matriarch Claudine works tirelessly behind the scenes to hush up family scandals.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Definition of willed

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purposing
purposive
purposively
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Cite this Entry

“Purposive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposive. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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