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
-
Only 28 per cent of Newcastle’s first-half attacks came down the middle, with Villa forcing the hosts into wide areas and, aside from one Lewis Miley header that drew an exceptional save from Martinez, mostly aimless crosses.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Over the subsequent stories, Goodman crafts subtle investigations of the relations between siblings, the fine blend of anxiety and pride parents feel for their offspring, and the bemused affection an aunt or uncle might feel for their aimless nieces or haphazard nephews.—
Chloe Schama,
Vogue,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
-
His 2010 Cy Young victory despite a 13-12 record marked a turning point where win-loss record went from being the most important pitcher stat to one that’s borderline meaningless.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the subsequent stories, Goodman crafts subtle investigations of the relations between siblings, the fine blend of anxiety and pride parents feel for their offspring, and the bemused affection an aunt or uncle might feel for their aimless nieces or haphazard nephews.—
Chloe Schama,
Vogue,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The haphazard plot twists itself into knots to include Jeremy Pope’s unfortunately eponymous character, before moving on to far shorter flings with equally monotonous cast members.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Sox also enter spring training with Jarred Kelenic and Dustin Harris among the outfielders signed to minor-league deals with big-league camp invitations.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The bill would allow immigrants like him, who have been in the United States for more than 5 years, to apply for legal status, but the bill has made little progress since it was first introduced.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Some parents might interact too much, or too little, and the play pocket might not encourage independent play as expected.—
Jillian Pretzel,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
My deep cynicism thinks this was a diabolical plan to herd young people toward expensive, and somewhat useless, college degrees.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Carlsson had been pointless in nine of his 10 previous games.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Herzog, narrating in his distinctive delivery, notes that any human intervention to rescue the bird would be pointless, and would only delay the penguin’s suicidal pilgrimage.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But because this all unfolded early on a Saturday morning, and oil-futures trading doesn’t open until Sunday evening, investors had a slight buffer.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
-
With an emphasis on energy management thanks to the uptick in electrical power, the introduction of active aerodynamics and a slight reduction in the size and weight of the cars, the drivers have found the new challenge refreshing.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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