1
as in resolute
fully committed to achieving a goal
a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing
there's a difference between a purposeful lie and an accidental untruth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of purposeful
His unimaginable situation leaves him with no obvious path forward — a purposeful choice by Ingelsby for a character who’s literally trained in trauma recovery.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Was that purposeful, or was that separate from the whole thing?
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
His selection was as purposeful of a pick as the Chiefs have made in recent years.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
For Xi, China’s longest-serving and most powerful leader in decades, the symbolism – and its timing – will be purposeful.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Was that purposeful, or was that separate from the whole thing?
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
His selection was as purposeful of a pick as the Chiefs have made in recent years.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
For Xi, China’s longest-serving and most powerful leader in decades, the symbolism – and its timing – will be purposeful.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeful
Adjective
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These days, Pynchon is a resolute New Yorker.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
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Their response to the player’s incendiary statement last week was to release their own extraordinary one and become even more resolute in their position regarding a transfer.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This reframes usage as deliberate practice rather than digital grazing.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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To this end, instead of complexity, the team showed that deliberate simplification (a minimalist molecule) is the key.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The challenge for leaders is to see the sign in the window, ask the right questions, and take responsibility for ensuring that what’s communicated matches intent.—
George Bradt,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Still, the soon-to-be former Prime Minister seems intent on using his message to return Japan to a more reconciliatory position before his departure.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That means staying alert to how AI systems influence our thinking and making conscious choices about when and how to engage with them.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Sullivan believes Fruitist’s market opportunity is strong as consumers become more conscious about health and are willing to pay for premium products.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Saúl is a fixture at his father's bouts and already seems determined to follow in his father’s footsteps.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
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Her flippers, each more than two feet long, scooped out sand and flung it to her sides in slow, determined strokes.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Debtor filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Earlier this year, LNK International issued a voluntary recall of its Kirkland Signature Severe Cold & Flu Plus Congestion medication sold at Costco due to a batch mistakenly being released after it was rejected for potential foreign material contamination.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, the health of the system is decisive.—
Sandro da Silva,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But even before Tyler Stephenson’s two-run homer off Robert Suarez broke a tie in the top of the ninth inning and held as the decisive hit in a 4-2 Reds victory, something happened that practically rendered the final score a footnote.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As Platt reminds us, moving toward a healthier relationship with ownership means reclaiming our power by being intentional.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
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The researchers couldn’t fully separate the effects of intentional versus unintentional weight loss.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purposeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeful. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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