1
as in resolute
fully committed to achieving a goal
a soft-spoken but purposeful criminal investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing
there's a difference between a purposeful lie and an accidental untruth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of purposeful
Once calm returns, squeeze your brain with purposeful tension.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Athletics receive plenty of deserved flak about playing in Sacramento — which was a purposeful move — while Tampa Bay continues to play elite baseball despite playing home games in another minor-league park (not purposeful) and continuing to pinch pennies.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 July 2025
From track to track, the singer’s voice seems to change in tone too—perhaps a quirk of generativity—making the collection feel less like a purposeful LP and more like a blind-bag gamble.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025
Lemmer, who has four children ages 7 months through 12 years old, is taking a more purposeful approach to real estate.
—Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Athletics receive plenty of deserved flak about playing in Sacramento — which was a purposeful move — while Tampa Bay continues to play elite baseball despite playing home games in another minor-league park (not purposeful) and continuing to pinch pennies.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 July 2025
From track to track, the singer’s voice seems to change in tone too—perhaps a quirk of generativity—making the collection feel less like a purposeful LP and more like a blind-bag gamble.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025
Lemmer, who has four children ages 7 months through 12 years old, is taking a more purposeful approach to real estate.
—Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for purposeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeful
Adjective
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His face was resolute across the table in a room full of reporters.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
29 July 2025
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The Club World Cup trophy is also spending time in the Oval Office; it could be seen there Tuesday not far from the resolute desk.—
Ian Swanson,
The Hill,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Choosing to slow decision-making processes and make deliberate moves can seem radical in a competitive business market, but this investment over time can result in significant changes with lasting effects.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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While clutter implies disorganization or neglect, the messy girl look is a deliberate embrace of imperfection that still feels cozy and intentional.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Diaz has loved his four seasons at Liverpool and was not creating issues for the club or Slot, but was also intent on leaving, given the lack of progress that had been made towards a new contract.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
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While her work has drawn fierce criticism from the same forces intent on dragging America back to a time when artists were expected to sing, dance, and stay silent about politics, Knowles-Carter has transcended the noise.—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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The teenager was conscious and breathing when paramedics took him to the hospital.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
28 July 2025
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Renaissance people weren’t conscious egalitarians, but they were accustomed to open contests and competitions, one of the hallmarks of modernity.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite low turnout thus far, Morales is determined to make this work.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
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Why The Jazz Bar Is Special When his music bar burned down in 2002, Edinburgh drummer Bill Kyle was determined to start again.—
Felipe Schrieberg,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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Viewers and listeners of PBS and NPR are significantly more affluent than the average American, which gives them the means to support public broadcasting through voluntary contributions.—
The Editors,
National Review,
14 July 2025
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On June 9, Alma Pak International LLC announced a voluntary recall of 400 boxes of its organic blueberries due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Curiously, the two players who were decisive in last night’s tie, Coll and Bonmati, were the two major issues for Spain in the run-up to and during these Euros.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
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The decisive feature that demonstrates the fossil was likely an early arachnid is the unique organization of the brain -- a reverse of the front-to-back arrangement found in present-day crustaceans, insects, centipedes and horseshoe crabs, the researchers said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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There is intentional distressing around the edges for a more worn-in look, and the visible woodgrain adds a rustic, farmhouse feel.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
1 Aug. 2025
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Wisconsin law calls for life in prison for a defendant found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, especially those with criminal enhancements.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purposeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeful. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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