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Glite Dictionary
purposiveness

purposiveness

8.1
A quality of having a clear plan or reason for action
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜːrpəsɪvnəs/
translation icon : intencionalidad
  • In fact, this attitude, which accepts a purposiveness without asserting a purpose, is actually very familiar in mathematics and the sciences in which objects in the world are studied to disclose a design or order.

He talks about the beautiful, the sublime taste, what we call teleology in nature, meaning, you know, purposiveness to things.

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Examples

  • The artist's latest sculpture radiates a sense of purposiveness, as if each curve and angle was thoughtfully designed to convey a message.

  • Her plan for the project showed great purposiveness, aiming to achieve specific goals within a tight timeline.

  • In any event, it is clear that there are a good number of different levels and kinds of purposiveness.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Skills passed down by copying in this way would not implicate any new kinds of function or purposiveness.

    Academic text (2001)

  • A beautiful object, whether in nature or in art, also seems to have a purposiveness—a sense that it was made specifically for our contemplation.

    Academic text (1997)

  • As Eric Leed writes, "For the ancients, the journey had value in that it explained human fate and necessity, while the moderns extolled it as a manifestation of freedom and as an escape from necessity and purposiveness."

    Academic text (2008)

  • More affected by Kantian aesthetic ideals than by ethical claims based on practical judgment, these theorists concentrate not on dramatic situations but on the ethical force that one can attribute to the purposiveness of the particular text as an authorial action.

    Academic text (1998)

  • This feeling of harmony is a feeling that the regularity and lawfulness of the form of the object—its purposiveness—harmonizes with the cognitive powers (the imagination and the understanding) of the human mind.

    Academic text (1999)

  • In his speech, he emphasized the purposiveness of teamwork, highlighting how a clear intention can lead to successful outcomes.

Synonyms

purpose
vspurposiveness
295 3.5

A strong wish to achieve something and not give up

is about showing clear intention rather than inner resolve
intentionality
vspurposiveness
  • Formal
3 8.0

The ability to act on purpose and direct the mind toward a goal

is about outwardly shown intention rather than inward mental capacity
purposefulness
vspurposiveness
1 4.9

A clear aim and strong determination to reach it

focuses more on showing intention than on inner determination
directedness
vspurposiveness
1 6.8

The quality of having a clear goal and working toward it

emphasizes purpose or intention rather than mere direction
pointfulness
vspurposiveness
8.9

The quality of having clear meaning or a useful purpose

stresses deliberate aim or intention instead of general meaning

Antonyms

aimlessness
1 7.0

A lack of clear purpose or direction

How Purposeful

premeditation
  • Formal
21 7.9
intentionality
  • Formal
3 8.0
purposiveness
8.1

Surface Forms

purposiveness singular
purposivenesses plural

Morphology

purposiveness = purposive (transparent) = purpose + ive + ness

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'purposive'; the meaning is directly predictable from 'purpose' → 'purposive' → 'purposiveness'.

Etymology

Purposiveness comes from the simple word purpose, which means 'an aim' or 'goal', plus the ending -ness, which shows a 'quality of' something. So purposiveness is the quality of having a clear aim or intention, like when every action points toward the same goal.