Purposeful
adjectiveHaving or showing a clear aim, intention, or determination.
How to spell purposeful
10 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce purposeful
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does purposeful mean?
- adjectiveHaving or showing a clear aim, intention, or determination.
Purposeful in a sentence
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Her purposeful stride told everyone she had already made the decision.
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The manager set out a purposeful plan with clear targets for the quarter.
Where does purposeful come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word is built from the noun 'purpose' plus the native English suffix '-ful', meaning 'full of'. 'Purpose' came into English in the 1300s from Anglo-French and Old French 'porpos', meaning an aim or intention, which derived from the verb 'porposer', 'to put forward or propose'. That verb traces back to the Latin 'proponere', formed from 'pro' meaning 'forward' and 'ponere' meaning 'to put or place', so the literal idea was of placing an aim in front of yourself. The Latin 'ponere' also gave us a whole family of relatives, including 'propose', 'component', and 'position'. The suffix '-ful' is the same one in 'careful' and 'hopeful', and the common spelling trap is that, despite meaning 'full', it carries only a single 'l' when attached to a word.
How the word is built
- purpose (aim, intention)
- -ful (adjective suffix: full of)
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