The Collaborative International Dictionary
Purposive \Pur"po*sive\, a.
Having or indicating purpose or design. ``Purposive
characters.''
--Bastian.
Purposive modification of structure in a bone.
--Owen.
It is impossible that the frog should perform actions
morepurposive than these.
--Huxley.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1849, from purpose + -ive.
Wiktionary
a. 1 Serving a particular purpose; adapted to a given purpose, especially through natural evolution. (from 19th c.) 2 Done or performed with a conscious purpose or intent. (from 19th c.) 3 (context psychology English) Pertaining to purpose, as reflected in behaviour or mental activity. (from 19th c.) 4 Pertaining to to or demonstrating purpose. (from 19th c.) 5 Possessed of a firm purpose; determined, resolute. (from 20th c.) 6 (context grammar English) Of a clause or conjunction: expressing purpose. (from 20th c.)
WordNet
adj. having or showing or acting with a purpose or design; "purposive behavior"
having a purpose; "purposive behavior" [syn: goal-directed]
Wikipedia
Usage examples of "purposive".
The individual cannot be immediately transformed by individual purpose and action into a consummate social type, any more than society can be immediately transformed by purposive national action into a consummate residence for the individual.
It cannot be invested with a purposive action of its own: to enquire what it did, and how it did it, in between those moments of time, is to see the phenomenon in terms of the material reality on which we base our reasoning, and thus starting from the wrong premise.
It stimulated their central nervous systems, and the purposive form-change process began.
If it were to go wrong, there could be a recursive signal to the main decision algorithm, and that would create a resonance in the purposive feedback loop.
It is highly purposive, preprocessed to eliminate unnecessary repetition, consciously designed to maximize informational content.