Cross-purpose

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A contrary or conflicting purpose or understanding, especially an unintentional or misconceived one. idiomatic

    "We are working at cross-purposes here, if you're trying to reduce the count and I'm trying to increase it."

  2. 2
    a contrary aim wordnet

Example

More examples

"We are working at cross-purposes here, if you're trying to reduce the count and I'm trying to increase it."

Etymology

Attested (in the plural form) since the 1660s, originally meaning ‘contradictory intentions.’

Related phrases

at cross-purposescross-purposes

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.