purposeful

[ pur-puhs-fuhl ]

adjective

1. having a purpose.
2. determined; resolute.
3. full of meaning; significant.

purposeful

/ ˈpɜːpəsfʊl /

adjective

1. having a definite purpose in view
2. fixed in one's purpose; determined

Usage

Purposefully is sometimes wrongly used where purposely is meant: he had purposely (not purposefully ) left the door unlocked

Derived Forms

• ˈpurposefully, adverb
• ˈpurposefulness, noun

Other Words From

• pur·pose·ful·ly adverb
• pur·pose·ful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of purposeful¹

First recorded in 1850–55; purpose + -ful

Example Sentences

The latter drew a flood of scathing reviews of the family’s auto repair shop — “Worst car care Ive been to,” one Yelp reviewer wrote online — in a purposeful left-wing campaign of retribution.

From Los Angeles Times

In response to Fat Joe raising the impact of misinformation on the election, Harris responded that it’s a purposeful attempt to depress the vote.

From Los Angeles Times

For the most part, Woodward is impressed, concluding that they engaged in “genuine good faith efforts” to “wield the levers of executive power responsibly and in the national interest,” adding, “I believe President Biden and this team will be largely studied in history as an example of steady and purposeful leadership.”

From Slate

So it doesn't serve a purposeful function for society or for women.

From BBC

Jackson’s attorneys described Narvaez’s move as a “purposeful attempt to … destroy his personal and business reputation, harm Jackson’s commercial and business interests, negatively affect his custody case, and prevent him from seeing his minor son,” and ultimately labeled her post “defamatory” and “unequivocally false.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• calculated
• deliberate
• determined
• intense
• persistent
• resolute
• strong-willed