Telic

//ˈtiːlɪk// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Tending or directed towards a goal or specific end.

    "Several theorists of the previous chapters are supportive of this more telic view of human nature."

  2. 2
    That expresses an end or purpose.

    "1995, Michela Cennamo, Patterns of 'Active' Syntax in Late Latin Pleonastic Reflexives, John Charles Smith, Delia Bentley (editors), Historical Linguistics 1995: Selected Papers from the 12th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Volume 1: General Issues and Non-Germanic Languages, page 39, In this framework, verbs denoting directed change of location, such as Italian andare 'go', instantiate Core Unaccusativity, in that they have a Theme subject and are the most telic, concrete, dynamic."

  3. 3
    That expresses the perfective aspect.

Synonyms

All synonyms
concentratedearnestfocusedtelical

Example

More examples

"Several theorists of the previous chapters are supportive of this more telic view of human nature."

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek τελῐκός (telĭkós, “final”), from τέλος (télos, “end”).

Related phrases

telic aspectperfective aspect

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