as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing
facial tics and other unconscious movements that one would not normally call purposive actions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of purposive
Strengthening transcendence, with its associated behaviors of being purposive, inspired, optimistic, creative, and future-oriented, helps to broaden your perspective and see beyond the immediate challenges.
—
Mary Crossan, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
For Defoe, meaning is purposive and theological, purposive because theological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
Sporadic outbursts of feeling are converted into purposive and unremitting activity.
—Aldous Huxley, Harper's Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021
In this sense, history is not only rational but also providential: designed, purposive, teleological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Mary Crossan, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
For Defoe, meaning is purposive and theological, purposive because theological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
Sporadic outbursts of feeling are converted into purposive and unremitting activity.
—Aldous Huxley, Harper's Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021
In this sense, history is not only rational but also providential: designed, purposive, teleological.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposive
Adjective
-
And then there’s the human factor; Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, estimates more than 90% of wildfires are caused by humans, whether through carelessness, deliberate ignitions or infrastructure failures.Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
-
Baskin also set the final song to the same tune of the first — a deliberate callback.Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
As an immigrant teen trying to assimilate when his family moved to New York, Stan badly wanted to fit in, but was deeply conscious of his ‘otherness’.Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2025
-
His office said Netanyahu, 75, was in good condition and fully conscious after the conclusion of his prostate surgery.Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Evacuation warnings -- voluntary notices to leave -- begin to be issued in the Palisades Fire.Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2025
-
However, the department's typical course of action is to negotiate voluntary settlements rather than pursue extreme measures such as revoking federal funding.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
But with a few intentional whites and creams, our editors also prove that calming neutrals will never go out of style.Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2025
-
This is why cultivating and strengthening intentional friendships is essential, and Meghan Watson, psychotherapist, agrees.Dominique Fluker, Essence, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump’s new filing was signed by D. John Sauer, his intended nominee to become U.S. solicitor general, who represents the administration before the Supreme Court.Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Well, Kendrick Bourne stopped his crossing route right in front of intended target Hunter Henry on Maye’s first sack, which forced Maye to hold the ball and killed a promising opening drive.Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Even more than his strong, octave-surfing Ontario accent, his willed congeniality—a mix of natural reserve and a morbid aversion to pretense—spoke to something in my bones.Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 14 Dec. 2023
-
Read: The changing sound of male rage in rock music Underscoring his willed isolation is the fact that Fight Club intentionally seems to take place nowhere.Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near purposive
Cite this Entry
“Purposive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposive. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share