as in aimless
having or seeming to have no purpose or reason
I have to go to another purposeless meeting tonight. purposeless suffering
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Recent Examples of purposeless
Marine biologists had thought that the pelvic bones were purposeless in the marine environment, and would eventually disappear given another million or so years of evolution.
—
Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless.
—WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell talks about how the pursuit of productivity — driven by capitalism, competition, and consumption — has redirected our attention outward, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless.
—refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2021
Although gender is effectively purposeless—if not irrelevant—in gaming, my brothers reflected society's obsession with forcing others to choose between pink or blue.
—Jamie Valentino, Wired, 22 June 2021
These protests are nearly all disingenuous, false and specious, and meant to utilize fear to continue a tragic and purposeless war.
—Matthew Hoh, CNN, 17 May 2021
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless.
—WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell talks about how the pursuit of productivity — driven by capitalism, competition, and consumption — has redirected our attention outward, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless.
—refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2021
Although gender is effectively purposeless—if not irrelevant—in gaming, my brothers reflected society's obsession with forcing others to choose between pink or blue.
—Jamie Valentino, Wired, 22 June 2021
These protests are nearly all disingenuous, false and specious, and meant to utilize fear to continue a tragic and purposeless war.
—Matthew Hoh, CNN, 17 May 2021
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
Adjective
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Hotz, a 24-year-old born and raised in Orlando, had been aimless as a kid.—
Brendan I. Koerner,
WIRED,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Irsay pushed Ehlinger into the lineup during the disastrous 2022 season, but by the end of that campaign — one that began with Matt Ryan at the helm — the Colts found themselves in a familiar spot: aimless at the most important position on the field.—
Zak Keefer,
The Athletic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
These hang-outs largely unfurl as a meaningless montage of coverage, packaged with some punchy, comedy-forward exchanges.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Here are four reasons why seemingly meaningless activities are deeply beneficial to our well-being.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But most of those efforts were haphazard, devolved into infighting among Chicanosauruses and didn’t develop into a full-fledged movement.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Each county conducts the count differently — San Francisco's was reportedly haphazard last year — and relies on volunteers, outreach workers and government employees who often get varying levels of training.—
Shawna Chen,
Axios,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The epigenetic clock theory suggests aging occurs due to accumulation of epigenetic modifications, or minor changes to the chemical structure of DNA that do not alter the underlying sequence but instead change which genes are on or off.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2025
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Fewer than one in three arrestees were charged with any offense, and most of those were for minor infractions like jaywalking, littering, and blocking sidewalks.—
V.N. Trinh / Made by History,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Given how little Cohen material has been auctioned off, the sale will be also a barometer of how much Cohen’s legend has grown since his death in 2016.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2025
-
The post-election period has seen a rather dramatic fall off in MSNBC’s audience, likely as so many Democrats tuned out in post-election fatigue or little desire to watch Donald Trump savor his election victory.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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If that happens, the app will become instantly useless.—
Sabrina Moreno,
Axios,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Without updates, the TikTok app will eventually be rendered useless for creators.—
Veronica Ramirez,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like many public-housing projects, the original Sumner Houses, built in the late 1950s, withdraw from the street, lurking behind a perimeter of pointless lawn.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Jan. 2025
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Much of the traditional oppositional playbook has, in the dawning Second Age of Trump, come to seem ineffective, pointless, even counterproductive.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The album arrives after a slight delay, originally slated for Jan. 24 but postponed due to The Weeknd’s $1 million donation to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2025
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Despite this, Ham performed his tasks well with only a slight delay during the deceleration, researchers found.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near purposeless
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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