purposive

Use Purposive in a sentence

adjective

having, showing, or acting with a purpose, intention, or design.

adapted to a purpose or end.

serving some purpose.

determined; resolute.

of or characteristic of purpose.

Relevant Questions

What Is Purpose?

Origin:
1850–55; purpose + -ive

Related forms

pur·pos·ive·ly, adverb

pur·pos·ive·ness, noun

non·pur·pos·ive, adjective

non·pur·pos·ive·ly, adverb

non·pur·pos·ive·ness, noun

pre·pur·pos·ive, adjective

sem·i·pur·pos·ive, adjective

sem·i·pur·pos·ive·ly, adverb

sem·i·pur·pos·ive·ness, noun

un·pur·pos·ive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To purposive

00:10

Purposive is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

purposive (ˈpɜːpəsɪv)

—*adj*
1.	relating to, having, or indicating conscious intention
2.	serving a purpose; useful

'purposively

—*adv*

'purposiveness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Example sentences

But this requires a new and purposive round of brainstorming.

Use Dictionary.com faster without ads >>

Related Words

horme

hormic theory

Matching Quote

"There is no necessary connection between the important events of a life and the records of it that have been preserved in memory, in documents, in memorials, or in living testimony. The biographer must compose his life of what he has, just as the archeologist must restore his temple or his statue with such fragments as thieving time and careless men have left him; but fate often ironically leaves him a well-preserved leg and a dismembered torso, while the head, which would supply the main clue to the body, is missing. Hence, in addition to the purposive selection exercised by the subject himself and by the biographer in making use of such materials as are left, there exists a purely external selection dominated by chance, which cuts across the evidence in an arbitrary fashion. To correct for such distortions the biographer must be an anatomist of character: he must be able to restore the missing nose in plaster, even if he does not find the original marble."

-Lewis Mumford

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Home Advisor

About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help