1
as in intentionally
with full awareness of what one is doing
he purposefully chose the more difficult route to the mountain summit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hard
with great effort or determination
strode purposefully into the boss's office, determined to ask for a raise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposefully
Adverb
-
Colleges must intentionally connect academic learning to career readiness.—
Marybeth Gasman,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025 -
In a highly unusual twist, the medical contractor involved, Armor Correctional Health Services, was also criminally prosecuted, successfully, on seven counts of intentionally falsifying medical records and one count of abusing or neglecting a resident in a penal institution.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Even though the Trump administration has made no secret about its intentions to downsize and remake federal health agencies, many in the field of injury and violence prevention weren't expecting their corner of the CDC to be hit so hard.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Even so, there is no doubt that, perhaps more than his contemporary predecessors, Pope Francis dedicated his days to outreach beyond the faithful, and worked hard to make the Church more relevant in an ever-changing world.—
Phoebe Natanson,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Related article Damage to ancient Hadrian’s Wall confirmed after famous UK tree ‘deliberately felled’ Jon Stokes, director of trees, science and research at the Tree Council, said in the trust’s statement that ancient oaks can live up to 1,000 years.—
Olivia Kemp,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Along the way, Coogler deliberately lays out the geography of his small-town setting (sometimes one step at a time, via a couple long, unbroken shots) and builds his ensemble cast as the brothers assemble the staff and entertainment for opening night.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Other hiring employers like Snapchat’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, purposely terrifies new hires by setting them up to fail on their first day on the job.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The glasses themselves were objectively rather dull, utilitarian in design and purposely plain.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
15 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Additionally, in her second Combs case ruling today, US District Judge Jennifer Rochon rejected a Jane Doe motion to keep her real intently hidden.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Sitting cross-legged in an armchair, a woman in a beret and an open fur coat exposing a scarlet dress gazes intently with pursed lips.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adverb
-
Stagnation is framed as failure — employees are encouraged to continuously upskill and experiment with AI.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Flooding in Kentucky shuts down famous bourbon distillery The Buffalo Trace Distillery, the country's oldest continuously operating distillery, has been closed for days as the staff waits for floodwaters to recede.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Purposefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposefully. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share