adv Uncommon

purposely

PUR-puhs-lee

Purposely (adv) means On purpose; deliberately, not by accident. Example: “He purposely left the door unlocked for her.”

adv

On purpose; deliberately, not by accident.

"He purposely left the door unlocked for her."

How to use purposely

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDone deliberately, as opposed to by accident.

Easily confused with

purposefully →

more purposely comparative, most purposely superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

He _____ left the door unlocked for her.

From purpose plus the adverb suffix -ly.

deliberately intentionally advisedly by choice by design designedly on purpose

accidentally deliberately intentionally intentional advisedly designedly

rely comely lonely timely lovely homely widely lively lately rarely barely likely

What does “purposely” mean?

The word “purposely” means on purpose; deliberately, not by accident. In plain terms, done deliberately, as opposed to by accident.

How do you pronounce “purposely”?

“Purposely” is pronounced PUR-puhs-lee (/ˈpɝpəsli/ in IPA).

How do you use “purposely” in a sentence?

Here is “purposely” used in a sentence: “He purposely left the door unlocked for her.”

What part of speech is “purposely”?

“Purposely” is an adverb.

Is “purposely” a common word?

“Purposely” is an uncommon word in modern English.

accidentally deliberately intentionally intentional advisedly designedly