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
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Recent Examples of purposive
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
In this sense, history is not only rational but also providential: designed, purposive, teleological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
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
In this sense, history is not only rational but also providential: designed, purposive, teleological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposive
Adjective
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Not an add-on department, but a deliberate disruption team.—
Abigail Stuart,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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These philosophies manifest in Benesse House's deliberate restraint—spaces designed for contemplation rather than excessive comfort and convenience.—
Ryan Craggs,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The fact that Nicky is suddenly conscious enough to fly it right to its target is certainly questionable, though.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
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The trouble is that prematurely assuming a chatbot is conscious could lead to all sorts of problems.—
Susan Schneider,
Scientific American,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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At least 2,000 of the agency's roughly 6,100 full-time employees have either left or plan to leave under the waves of terminations and voluntary retirements ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency, Coen told USA TODAY.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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Velazquez, 24, signed a plea deal in March for voluntary manslaughter and a gun enhancement.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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His collection, whether intentional or not, was a visual homage to ancestral African and Caribbean aesthetics, with natural materials and folkloric references woven into his designs.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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This could feel like a powerful release, so try your best to be intentional with your rituals.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps the solace of a tour in New York at the United Nations will serve the intended purpose of keeping Waltz from ever openly breaking with the President.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
1 May 2025
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But the intended fix, local homelike centers, hasn't filled the void.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Carnegie is convinced that sincerity is as easily willed as a ready smile and a memory for names.—
Ann Hulbert,
Harper's Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
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The entire texture of that life, its willed imposture.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purposive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposive. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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