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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of purposeless
Marine biologists had thought that the pelvic bones were purposeless in the marine environment, and would eventually disappear given another million or so years of evolution.
—
Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
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
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
But here’s a question: How much longer can the country afford to lure so many of its promising talents into a life of purposeless paper-pushing and legalized economic vandalism that antitrust has become?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 10 May 2022
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
In Mazars, Trump may yet be able to convince the lower courts that Congress’s rationale for seeking his financial records is too broad, too partisan, or too purposeless.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 July 2020
Well, given the malignant chaos of a purposeless universe, what’s one little false allegation in the scheme of things?
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purposeless
Adjective
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Hotz, a 24-year-old born and raised in Orlando, had been aimless as a kid.—
Brendan I. Koerner,
WIRED,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Having a list also saves time by minimizing aimless browsing in stores or online.—
True Tamplin,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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After all, we too are drawn to violent, meaningless spectacle to distract us from matters of substance.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
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Hence this 'coalition' & tough talk about 'tightening' sanctions is entirely meaningless as absolutely nothing will change.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Why some houses burn and others survive isn’t always obvious and can seem capricious and haphazard, despite preparation and mitigation.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA TODAY,
11 Jan. 2025
-
Efforts to reform the system that has shielded oil companies from liability have been haphazard.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Charging documents for Darien pointed to four unnamed minor victims.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The three teens, whose identities have not been released due to their minor status, are all being held at Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility.—
Christina Coulter,
Fox News,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The John McDonough creation, which has ignited a slew of copycats since the inaugural fan fest in 1986, is a marketing tool like no other, changing little over the years.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
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His production was especially encouraging given how little UCLA has gotten from its two big men, prompting Cronin to play him a season-high 27 minutes.—
Ben Bolch,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Without that essential training to help surmount powerful systemic barriers, the kit would have been useless—and in that sense, the job is still woefully unfinished.—
Sheila McClear,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Esoteric knowledge of the parks, essentially useless anywhere else, is suddenly incredibly useful.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like many public-housing projects, the original Sumner Houses, built in the late 1950s, withdraw from the street, lurking behind a perimeter of pointless lawn.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Much of the traditional oppositional playbook has, in the dawning Second Age of Trump, come to seem ineffective, pointless, even counterproductive.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That slight warming trend is expected to continue Friday, when high temperatures reach the upper 30s, with lows in the upper teens.—
Matt Hubbard,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Jan. 2025
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The snow started falling Sunday afternoon, with a slight mix of hail.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near purposeless
Cite this Entry
“Purposeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purposeless. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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