purposeful

adjective

pur·​pose·​ful ˈpər-pəs-fəl 

1

: having a purpose: such as

a

: meaningful

purposeful activities

b

: intentional

purposeful ambiguity

2

: full of determination

was soft-spoken but purposeful

purposefully

ˈpər-pəs-fə-lē 

adverb

purposefulness noun

Synonyms

• bent (on or upon)
• bound
• decisive
• determined
• do-or-die
• firm
• hell-bent (on or upon)
• intent
• out
• resolute
• resolved
• set
• single-minded

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

As is the case with everything Kendrick Lamar does, especially throughout his beef with Drake, his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show included a few easter eggs and caused fans to theorize about other aspects of the show that may not have actually been so purposeful. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Since retaking office, Trump has created so much purposeful chaos — including at federal agencies that are being gutted by the day — that journalists can barely keep up. —Brian Stelter, CNN, 9 Feb. 2025

The current government’s purposeful misrepresentation and defamation of DEI in such a comprehensively cruel and malicious manner deserves nothing less than personal and communal outrage and resistance. —Dr. Tony Lux, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025

So Far Malita Picasso, a staff attorney for the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, says the confusion around the policy is purposeful. —Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1