purposeless

adjective

Definition of purposelessnext
as in aimless
having or seeming to have no purpose or reason I have to go to another purposeless meeting tonight. purposeless suffering

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purposeless Religion gives meaning to human lives, which otherwise can feel purposeless. — WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021 In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell talks about how the pursuit of productivity — driven by capitalism, competition, and consumption — has redirected our attention outward, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless. — refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2021 Although gender is effectively purposeless—if not irrelevant—in gaming, my brothers reflected society's obsession with forcing others to choose between pink or blue. — Jamie Valentino, Wired, 22 June 2021 These protests are nearly all disingenuous, false and specious, and meant to utilize fear to continue a tragic and purposeless war. — Matthew Hoh, CNN, 17 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for purposeless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
  1. aimless
  2. meaningless
  3. haphazard
  4. minor
  5. little
  6. useless
  7. pointless
  8. slight
Adjective
  • Where season three frustrated with its aimless pacing, its unruly plotting, its self-congratulatory strain of goodness, new showrunner Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Modern Family) dials back the worst of the show’s excesses.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Some jokes, including a riff on the history of the Wright Brothers, feel vaguely Dada, as if Marino and Wain had spent a long, happy stretch of aimless days drinking coffee and free-associating.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
Definition of aimless
Adjective
  • But that pledge does little to address the creation of deepfakes themselves, and is meaningless without digital tools that make detecting deepfakes possible.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The show also underscores the frustration of meaningless tasks, mirroring widespread disengagement when work lacks clear purpose.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of meaningless
Adjective
  • Communication with employees about the requirement to move to new offices has been haphazard, workers at six agencies said.
    — Chiara Eisner, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This fencing appeared to have been lifted up and twisted, landing in a mangled and haphazard manner.
    — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of haphazard
Adjective
  • Advertising, a minor revenue stream before 2024, is expected to grow to around 15% of revenue by 2028.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The plane sustained minor damage but landed safely at Hannover Airport instead.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • The county purchased a brand new playground in 2022, but that did little to draw in visitors, or at least not the kind the Park and Recreation Department was hoping for.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Society has had very little time to develop stable rules around it.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of little
Adjective
  • But from how the thudding steps gained on me, my efforts were useless.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
  • The wrong answer, no matter how inexpensive or how fast it has been delivered, is useless.
    — Bruce Kelley, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of useless
Adjective
  • Although any hopes of an onscreen reunion might be pointless, the cast of Home Improvement appears to be keeping close in real life.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 July 2026
  • And to have another female voice that isn’t my offspring doing it would’ve been pointless.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • The righty, working with a slight pitch count after a complete game last week, followed two strikeouts in the first inning with five more in his outing.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Morgan walked into the opening match for SummerSlam Saturday as a slight favorite per Betonline.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

purposefulness
purposeless
purposely
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Cite this Entry

“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purposeless

Nglish: Translation of purposeless for Spanish Speakers

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