What does "purposive" mean?
A mood indicating a purpose of the course of activity expressed by the verb.
Purposive
/ˈpɚpəsɪv/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mood indicating a purpose of the course of activity expressed by the verb.
- Grammar: purposive is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: advertent, advised, calculated, conscious.
- Useful contrasts: accidental, haphazard, inadvertent.
- Usage evidence: These studies make use of purposive sampling.
How to use "purposive"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "purposive" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "purposive" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "purposive" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "purposive" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "purposive" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advertent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "purposive", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mood indicating a purpose of the course of activity expressed by the verb. uncountable
"This purposive was described by speakers as referring to the action which can be observed at the moment of speech; this is why it is termed ‘visual’."
Adjective
- 1 Serving a particular purpose; useful; adapted to a given purpose, especially through natural evolution.
"Irresistably it came to me again that beauty, far from being wasted, was purposive, that this purpose was of a redeeming kind, and that some one who was pleased co-operated with it for my personal benefit."
- 2 Done or performed with a conscious purpose or intent.
"It would have been quite impossible to use the A vocabulary for literary purposes or for political or philosophical discussion. It was intended only to express simple, purposive thoughts, usually involving concrete objects or physical actions."
- 3 Pertaining to purpose, as reflected in behaviour or mental activity.
"Ursula could not believe the air in her nostrils. It seemed conscious, malevolent, purposive in its intense murderous coldness."
- 4 Pertaining to or demonstrating purpose.
"The world was generally agreed to be a purposive one, responsive to the wishes of its Creator […]."
- 5 Possessed of a firm purpose.
"Whenever she opened a scientific book and saw whole paragraphs of incomprehensible words and symbols, she felt a sense of wonder at the great territories of learning that lay beyond her—the sum of so many noble and purposive attempts to make objective sense of the world."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Of a clause or conjunction: expressing purpose.
"Many scholars suggest that […] the increase in the use of the to-infinitive in Middle English took place at the expense of the bare infinitive (i.e. an infinitive without the marker to). […] due to the loss of verbal inflections, it became difficult to distinguish the infinitival form from other verbal forms. As a result […] to began to function as a mere marker of the infinitive, losing its original ‘purposive’ sense […]"
Adjective
- 1 having a purpose wordnet
- 2 having or showing or acting with a purpose or design wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"These studies make use of purposive sampling."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "purposive"?
Common synonyms include: advertent, advised, calculated, conscious, considered, cool.
How do you use "purposive" in a sentence?
These studies make use of purposive sampling.
How do you pronounce "purposive"?
Pronounced /ˈpɚpəsɪv/.
Etymology
From purpose + -ive. Compare purpositive.