purposive

adjective

ˈpər-pə-siv How to pronounce purposive (audio)
Definition of purposivenext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 The character dimension of transcendence underpins purposive leadership by supplying the steady, renewable energy that allows leaders to act with intention rather than impulse. — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposive
  1. deliberate
  2. voluntary
  3. conscious
  4. intentional
  5. intended
  6. willed
Adjective
  • Thomas defenders maintained that slow-motion replays and freeze frames made an accidental collision appear deliberate.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • While the same anthropologists also emphasize that some hunter-gatherers are very unequal and that equality takes deliberate effort, the prevailing impression is that equality characterizes hunter-gatherers, past and present.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of deliberate
Adjective
  • The Seal is voluntary and requires manufacturers to apply and submit evidence supporting their claims.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In reality, the president and the tech leaders signed a voluntary accord that allows the companies to police themselves.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of voluntary
Adjective
  • Going into the referendum, both Goodfriend and Fortich are conscious of the fact that affordability is on people’s minds — and that another high-profile property tax question, Florida’s Amendment 3, is on their ballots.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Witnesses reported that Pike complained of pain in her arm and remained conscious after the first dose.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of conscious
Adjective
  • Meta has said that access is intentional, not a breach of its systems.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Did returning to the zeitgeist with roles in Oppenheimer and Trap feel like an intentional industry reintroduction?
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of intentional
Adjective
  • Ask for the exact device, whether the treatment is ablative or nonablative, the intended depth, and the reaction to expect in week one.
    — Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of beginning with predetermined values, generic and disconnected trainings or executive assumptions, leaders can identify the specific gap between the intended culture and employees’ lived experiences.
    — Gwen Mdinaradze, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of intended
Adjective
  • Originally unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show and put into production in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron was a moonshot project essentially willed into existence by Ferdinand Piëch.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Anyone who has a negative reaction to this is a weak-willed loser who has ZERO idea how bad Texan has become and is more than likely complicit in selling out our state.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of willed

Browse Nearby Words

purposing
purposive
purposively
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Cite this Entry

“Purposive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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