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.
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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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This includes the aimless storyline of Jun-ho and the mercenary team sailing around trying to find the game island now that Gi-hun’s tracker died.Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
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Anfield was growing restless, with a succession of aimless crosses being slung into the penalty area.James Pearce, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Otherwise the right to a clean and healthful environment is meaningless.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
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But too little would render the action essentially meaningless.Gayoung Lee, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The entire ordeal was put together in a somewhat haphazard way that seemed consistent with her age and experience.Jessie Sage, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2024
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Nunez’s finishing here was like Nunez’s finishing everywhere: deeply, irredeemably haphazard.Jack Lang, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Adjective
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Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to the incident, with the three firefighters transported to a local hospital all in stable condition, and the 12 passengers hospitalized with minor injuries.Zach LaChance, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Dec. 2024
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The brother caught in the avalanche had only minor injuries, the report said.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In fact, for the most part, there is precious little history among opponents in each of the four games.Tom Layberger, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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There was a woeful miss that afternoon which was clearly the product of a forward who has had little meaningful opportunity of late and who had far too much time to think about what to do when one-on-one with Bart Verbruggen.Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This is a fashion collab designed for women’s bodies to be looked at, but the functionality is useless.Jamie Aranoff, Outside Online, 12 Dec. 2024
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It was built on NBA men who subsidized that useless league for decades.Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Against Leicester, Liverpool’s back-post setup was rendered pointless as Alexander-Arnold, in particular, regularly failed to clear the first defender.Andy Jones, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
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Eberhart von Franz quickly comes to understand this, as does Ellen; the two conspire to distract Thomas on a pointless quest to kill the Count.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Fed is now projecting headline inflation of 2.4%, a slight increase from 2.3% anticipated in September, and core inflation of 2.8%, up from 2.6%.Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 20 Dec. 2024
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The tomatoes were fresh and vibrant, and there was a slight sweetness from balsamic vinegar.Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near purposeless
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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