Meaning & use
purposive
Having or showing a clear purpose or goal; deliberately directed toward an end.
See it in a sentence
Her purposive approach to fundraising meant every event had a specific financial target.
The committee favored purposive interpretation of the law over a strict, literal reading.
A note on using this word
Purposive is common in formal, academic, and legal writing, especially in the phrase 'purposive interpretation'; in everyday speech, 'purposeful' is far more common.
Words with a similar meaning
deliberategoal-directed
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
aimless
Make it your own
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