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
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
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
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
Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
Adjective
-
For now, El Niño Bola rolls on, sounding aimless.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
And like plenty of other dads of aimless 18-year-olds, Richard thought his son needed direction.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But the Longhorns' all-time leader in assists and steals also knows that regional assignments are meaningless without first- and second-round wins.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
-
There’s a heartwarming idiocy to their pursuit, yet what festers underneath is their inability to process grief consciously and the fear that those who deem their existence meaningless might be right.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
During a fiery congressional hearing last month, Democrats excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The woman had minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Leigh Wambsganss, the Republican candidate and a Mercy Culture ally, had become a minor MAGA celebrity, owing to her role in facilitating a far-right takeover of the area’s school boards.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Boston bats made little noise all night in North Port.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
But even this caricature is more than what’s afforded to Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her Deaf sister Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), whose collective function is the former interpreting for the latter in American Sign Language, but little else.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Five-day forecasts are virtually useless, as is our comfort level that the very worst of winter is behind us.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The screenplay also has a passing reference to Evy’s useless, off-screen boyfriend Darren (voiced by Ryan Turner).—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the moment felt pointless.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The end result is a cultured information of markets that supports thoughtful techniques, reliable forecasting and knowledgeable positioning without pointless complexity.—
Ascend Agency,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Also, God forbid, but the examining team might need to unstitch a section of the dress, and there was just the slightest chance that it wouldn’t be put back exactly as it had been received.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Yet by the end of Saturday night, there were slight glimmers of optimism for a team that hasn’t had much to cheer for this season.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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