How to Use purposeful in a Sentence

purposeful

adjective
  • Here, his stabs at form feel more purposeful.
    — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Here’s to a safe, steady, and purposeful year ahead.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
  • What the line is not, though, is purposeful in any way but the meta.
    — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 17 July 2017
  • In one of his motions, a chip flies off in a very purposeful way.
    — Graham Ambrose, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2018
  • Along the way, there were signs that made the effort feel purposeful.
    — Gloria Calderon Kellett, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
  • So purposeful change is much better than change for change’s sake.
    — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2019
  • Who is to say that the longing wasn’t the most purposeful agent of that change?
    — Rachel Kushner, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The pace is purposeful, and not just because of its long time-to-kill.
    — Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
  • The gloves make the whole look feel purposeful and upscale, rather than tacked-on.
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 26 Feb. 2024
  • And how to do so in a way that feels purposeful and personal?
    — Stephen Daw, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2021
  • The hard part is getting cells in a dish to do anything purposeful.
    — Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The decision for the brand to not launch its own line was purposeful.
    — Marie Lodi, refinery29.com, 17 Sep. 2020
  • The game plan against that was a lot of purposeful cutting, to lose people.
    — Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati.com, 21 Dec. 2017
  • Busy and purposeful teens and young adults fight with one another less.
    — Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2022
  • Keep Austin weird by all means, but should the effort be this purposeful?
    — Nina Sovich, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2020
  • Or email me for a purposeful habits worksheet to help build tools like these into your life.
    — Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023
  • The room was blue itself, so the blue lighting was a [purposeful] choice.
    — Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 18 Oct. 2017
  • Was that purposeful, or was that separate from the whole thing?
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The square to Uranus means plans may change quickly, but those changes are purposeful.
    — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Jan. 2026
  • His cage work is always purposeful.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Erik moves toward his father – not a run, but a slow, purposeful march – and looks him in the eyes.
    — Rob Davis, OregonLive.com, 27 Oct. 2017
  • Being able to do that is what makes the work more fulfilling and purposeful.
    — Virginia Tech, The Seattle Times, 19 Sep. 2017
  • Others couldn’t get over how purposeful her journey seemed.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The secrecy about the film has been purposeful, as many of the cast members have said.
    — Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2023
  • The bright colors make this watch look almost like a toy – a purposeful effect.
    — Roberta Naas, Forbes, 7 July 2021
  • Some of them were purposeful (and those projects tended to be the most successful).
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 Dec. 2022
  • In many ways, this is the most present of all the hats because of how much purposeful attention is drawn to it.
    — Kinsey Jasnoch, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Do at least one thing daily that feels purposeful, not just productive.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Experts say this decade is about deeper, more purposeful travel—here’s where to go next.
    — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
  • From that point on, every pedal felt more purposeful and driven.
    — Brian Lamar, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purposeful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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