Meaning & use
singleness of purpose
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Meaning
phraseuncountableformal
the quality of being completely focused on one aim, with no other interests or distractions.
Grammar: It is used as a noun phrase and usually follows 'with' or 'shows'.
Patterns
- with singleness of purpose
- show singleness of purpose
- singleness of purpose in something
She worked with singleness of purpose, ignoring every offer that might slow her down.
His singleness of purpose impressed the coach, who had never seen a player so devoted to one goal.
The team's singleness of purpose helped them finish the project ahead of schedule.
Common combinations
- with singleness of purpose
- He pursued his research with singleness of purpose for twenty years.
- show singleness of purpose
- The new manager showed singleness of purpose in cutting unnecessary costs.
- remarkable singleness of purpose
- Her remarkable singleness of purpose made her a difficult person to distract.
- lack singleness of purpose
- Critics say the government lacks singleness of purpose on climate policy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- determination
- Determination is a general word for the will to keep trying; singleness of purpose adds the idea of having only one goal.
- focus
- Focus means directing attention on something; singleness of purpose suggests a whole life or career aimed at one thing.
- single-mindedness
- Single-mindedness is very close, but it can sound slightly disapproving, as if the person ignores other people's needs.
Opposites
Word family
- single-minded adjective
- having one clear aim and not letting anything else matter
- single-mindedly adverb
- in a way that shows only one aim or interest
Commonly confused: singleness of purpose or single purpose?
singleness of purpose vs single purpose
Single purpose means 'only one use or function', as in a single-purpose tool; singleness of purpose is about a person's strong focus.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'singleness of purpose' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'With singleness of purpose' is the usual pattern for describing how someone acts. Option An is wrong because the phrase is uncountable and does not take 'a'. Option C wrongly makes it plural, and option D confuses it with 'single purpose', which describes an object's function.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “singleness of purpose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.