pur·pos·ive \-siv\adjective Etymology:purpose (II) + -ive 1.: serving or effecting a useful end or function though not necessarily as a result of deliberate design < a work of art may be without a purpose, yet purposive > 2.: having, constituting, or tending to fulfill a conscious purpose or design : purposeful < purposive action > 3.: of or relating to purposivism < purposive psychology > • pur·pos·ive·ly\-sə̇vlē, -li\adverb • pur·pos·ive·ness\-sivnə̇s\noun-es