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

Other Word Forms

• purposefully adverb
• purposefulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of purposeful¹

First recorded in 1850–55; purpose + -ful

Example Sentences

It’s purposeful for Fellowes that the series and the films have addressed the ephemeral nature of life, something that’s also present in “The Grand Finale.”

From Los Angeles Times

"The national campus would be a purposeful, collaborative space, a uniquely Welsh environment that other top-tier nations would find difficult to replicate," said Reddin.

From BBC

Polk’s maneuvering into war with Mexico in 1848, complete with a phony border incident as a casus belli, bears comparison with Hitler’s attack on Poland for its purposeful aggression.

From Salon

Every note, important or incidental, he hit in the Rhapsody had a purposeful intensity.

From Los Angeles Times

Luckily, “The Bear” still serves a purposeful story that earns our attention for a few precisely portioned hours that always run out before we’re ready to let go.

From Salon

Related Words

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