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
-
But whereas Slama’s first film felt overindulgent and ultimately aimless, this one is held down by a compelling performance from Titane’s Agathe Rousselle, playing a Franco-American with a major attitude who’s desperately trying to make ends meet as the 2024 Summer Olympics begin.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
-
Rather than adapting, many boys and men are left confused, resentful and aimless.—
Chuka Emezue,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
But the whole beauty and focus of local government is that issues like quality schools or the disaster at the Tijuana River Estuary transcend and sometimes make meaningless party labels.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 July 2025
-
These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
But the study said many students, parents and school officials felt the roll-out of the policy was haphazard and that enforcement has been inconsistent.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
24 July 2025
-
Economists and trade researchers say the haphazard nature of the trade war is compounding the longer-term pressure on US manufacturing.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The club insisted Isak was left behind because of a minor thigh problem but The Athletic reported on Thursday sources, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, indicated the forward favoured being omitted amid his uncertain future.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
-
More Songs is, in effect, Eno’s debut as a capital-P producer, notwithstanding some minor early efforts and, of course, David Bowie’s landmark sessions for Low and Heroes.—
Will Hermes,
Rolling Stone,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
The 2023 impeachment trial of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial on a range of charges including bribery and abuse of office, appeared to have done little to undermine his standing among voters.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Since all the council members sit on the budget committee that voted and heard budget, little, if anything, in the budget is expected to change.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Followers are useless, but engaged customers and a devoted tribe of community members are priceless.—
Solo Ceesay,
Rolling Stone,
28 July 2025
-
Fertilizing before heavy rain is useless at best and harmful at worst.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
But what if this chimp fashion wasn't entirely pointless?—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
19 July 2025
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And with the game in its fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, Acuna picked a fight with Denzel Dumfries, a man far too streetwise to get sucked into such an incredibly pointless altercation.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Car buyers are benefiting from a slight downturn in interest rates, too.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
31 July 2025
-
The agency also issued forecast alerts of slight sea level changes for the rest of Japan’s coastline.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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