purposive
/ˈpɚpəsɪv/adjective, noun
purposive is spelled P-U-R-P-O-S-I-V-E: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, purposive means “Serving a particular purpose; useful; adapted to a given purpose, especially through natural evolution” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in purposive?
| Letters | 9: P-U-R-P-O-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is purposive?
Purposive appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce purposive?
- UK /ˈpəːpəsɪv/
- US /ˈpɚpəsɪv/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-purposive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of purposive
- more purposive comparative
- most purposive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does purposive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Serving a particular purpose; useful; adapted to a given purpose, especially through natural evolution.
- 2
Done or performed with a conscious purpose or intent.
Most human activity is purposive.
- 3
Pertaining to purpose, as reflected in behaviour or mental activity.
- 4
Pertaining to or demonstrating purpose.
- 5
Possessed of a firm purpose.
I had a purposive air about me that night.
- 6
Of a clause or conjunction: expressing purpose.
noun
- 1
A mood indicating a purpose of the course of activity expressed by the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Purposive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense expressing purpose (grammar):
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | intencional |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does purposive come from?
From purpose + -ive. Compare purpositive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).