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
  • There were two small red stripes on a sail, clearly deliberate but out of place.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Talking at the film’s press conference in Venice earlier, Moretti said his absence from from the festival had not been a deliberate slight but rather down to the timing for the shoots of his films.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of deliberate
Adjective
  • Colonizers call it voluntary emigration, but there is nothing voluntary about fleeing after your home has been bombed, your fields poisoned, your water cut off and your child buried.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The News More than two dozen organizations from both the left and right are urging the White House to publicly release its voluntary AI security framework, per a letter shared first with Semafor.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of voluntary
Adjective
  • More generally, the movie, directed by Elegance Bratton, is about the historical context of this murder, the conscious and organized effort by white Southern citizens and officials to intimidate, persecute, and subjugate Black people.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Devin Oktar Yalkin About PhotoVogue PhotoVogue is a global Condé Nast initiative dedicated to supporting artists and shaping a more conscious visual culture.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of conscious
Adjective
  • Cut what isn’t delivering value or being used to its fullest potential, double down on what is and use those insights to finish the year strong while building a smarter, more intentional strategy for the year ahead.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The mother of two added that her decision to return was intentional.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intentional
Adjective
  • The company says the plant could provide roughly 400 MW of electrical power without the risk of plasma disruptions, supporting its intended role as a source of baseload energy.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of only asking whether malware was detected, ask whether a user’s behavior changed, a workload is communicating somewhere unusual, large amounts of data are moving unexpectedly or an AI agent is operating outside its intended scope.
    — Scott Alldridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 12 Sep. 2026.

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