This pair of word confusions purposefully versus purposely share a common root word, purpose, and are sometimes interchangeable.
Purposefully means intentional with a goal, a mission, a focus.
The distinction comes in purposely meaning pointlessly intentional.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Purposefully | Purposely |
|---|---|
Rolling Along the Beach by adamtepl is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — Calmly pushing a wheelchair is purposefully done. |
Bullying by Pimkie is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Bullying actions are purposeful. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverb | Adverb |
| Intentional goal
In a way that shows determination or resolve With a useful purpose Intentionally and deliberately In a thoughtful and focused way, with a serious desire to accomplish something |
Negligently or carelessly
On purpose
|
| Examples: | |
| Rachael takes the lead, striding purposefully towards the door.
How is it possible to share information effectively and purposefully with project partners? We purposefully avoided addressing the problem. He gave us purposefully vague answers. Many runners break down in the marathon’s second half, but I stayed positive as I painfully and purposefully placed one foot in front of the other. The Family Fun Cooking Classes are designed to educate, but more importantly, to encourage adults in our community to purposefully spend time with young people. |
She had purposely made it difficult.
He tripped me purposely. I wore that suit purposely to make a good impression. “What Murphy alleges in this case, though, is O’Brien is purposely telling officials at DHS to minimize a major threat, just so the president wouldn’t get mad” (Ward). He maliciously and purposely slammed the car door on my foot, resulting in a fracture. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adverb: unpurposely | |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in the mid-1800s, purposeful + -ly, is from the Middle English purpos (noun), which was first recorded in 1250–1300, from the Old French, derivative of purposer, a variant of proposer meaning to propose; the Middle English purposen (verb), is from the Anglo-French, the Old French purposer. | First recorded in 1485–95, purpose + -ly, is from the Middle English purpos (noun), which was first recorded in 1250–1300, from the Old French, derivative of purposer, a variant of proposer meaning to propose; the Middle English purposen (verb), is from the Anglo-French, the Old French purposer. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Purposefully versus Purposely
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: purposely, purposefully
“Is It ‘Purposely’ or ‘Purposefully’?” Merriam-Webster. n.d. Web. 30 March 2022. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/purposely-purposefully-usage>.
Ward, Alex. “What to Make of the DHS Whistleblower’s Shocking Complaint.” Vox. 11 Sept 2020. Web. 30 March 2022. <https://www.vox.com/21429671/whistleblower-dhs-russia-interference-border-chad-wolf>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Missouri Flood Relief by Coast Guard News is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
