purposeful

adjective

pur·​pose·​ful ˈpər-pəs-fəl How to pronounce purposeful (audio)
1
: having a purpose: such as
a
: meaningful
purposeful activities
b
: intentional
purposeful ambiguity
2
: full of determination
was soft-spoken but purposeful
purposefully adverb
purposefulness noun

Examples of purposeful in a Sentence

a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator there's a difference between a purposeful lie and an accidental untruth
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Once calm returns, squeeze your brain with purposeful tension. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 The Athletics receive plenty of deserved flak about playing in Sacramento — which was a purposeful move — while Tampa Bay continues to play elite baseball despite playing home games in another minor-league park (not purposeful) and continuing to pinch pennies. Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 July 2025 From track to track, the singer’s voice seems to change in tone too—perhaps a quirk of generativity—making the collection feel less like a purposeful LP and more like a blind-bag gamble. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025 Lemmer, who has four children ages 7 months through 12 years old, is taking a more purposeful approach to real estate. Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for purposeful

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of purposeful was in 1853

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purposeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purposeful. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on purposeful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!