释义 |
purpose
pur·pose P0671200 (pûr′pəs)n.1. The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or goal: Her purpose in coming here is to talk to you. The purpose of an airliner is to transport people. See Synonyms at intention.2. Determination; resolution: He was a man of purpose.tr.v. pur·posed, pur·pos·ing, pur·pos·es To intend or resolve: "the gap between what is said and what is purposed" (Ian Donaldson).Idioms: on purpose Intentionally; deliberately. to good purpose With good results.to little/no purpose With few or no results. [Middle English purpos, from Anglo-Norman, from purposer, to intend : pur-, forth (from Latin prō-; see pro-1) + poser, to put; see pose1.]purpose (ˈpɜːpəs) n1. the reason for which anything is done, created, or exists2. a fixed design, outcome, or idea that is the object of an action or other effort3. fixed intention in doing something; determination: a man of purpose. 4. practical advantage or use: to work to good purpose. 5. that which is relevant or under consideration (esp in the phrase to or from the purpose)6. archaic purport7. on purpose intentionallyvb (tr) to intend or determine to do (something)[C13: from Old French porpos, from porposer to plan, from Latin prōpōnere to propose]pur•pose (ˈpɜr pəs) n., v. -posed, -pos•ing. n. 1. the reason for which something exists or is done, made, etc. 2. an intended or desired result; aim; goal. 3. determination; resoluteness. 4. the subject in hand; point at issue. 5. practical result or effect: to act to good purpose. v.t. 6. to intend; design; resolve. v.i. 7. to have a purpose. Idioms: 1. on purpose, intentionally. 2. to the purpose, to the point; relevant. [1250–1300; (n.) Middle English purpos < Old French, derivative of purposer, variant of proposer to propose; (v.) Middle English purposen < Anglo-French, Old French purposer] purpose Past participle: purposed Gerund: purposing
Present |
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I purpose | you purpose | he/she/it purposes | we purpose | you purpose | they purpose |
Preterite |
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I purposed | you purposed | he/she/it purposed | we purposed | you purposed | they purposed |
Present Continuous |
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I am purposing | you are purposing | he/she/it is purposing | we are purposing | you are purposing | they are purposing |
Present Perfect |
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I have purposed | you have purposed | he/she/it has purposed | we have purposed | you have purposed | they have purposed |
Past Continuous |
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I was purposing | you were purposing | he/she/it was purposing | we were purposing | you were purposing | they were purposing |
Past Perfect |
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I had purposed | you had purposed | he/she/it had purposed | we had purposed | you had purposed | they had purposed |
Future |
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I will purpose | you will purpose | he/she/it will purpose | we will purpose | you will purpose | they will purpose |
Future Perfect |
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I will have purposed | you will have purposed | he/she/it will have purposed | we will have purposed | you will have purposed | they will have purposed |
Future Continuous |
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I will be purposing | you will be purposing | he/she/it will be purposing | we will be purposing | you will be purposing | they will be purposing |
Present Perfect Continuous |
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I have been purposing | you have been purposing | he/she/it has been purposing | we have been purposing | you have been purposing | they have been purposing |
Future Perfect Continuous |
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I will have been purposing | you will have been purposing | he/she/it will have been purposing | we will have been purposing | you will have been purposing | they will have been purposing |
Past Perfect Continuous |
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I had been purposing | you had been purposing | he/she/it had been purposing | we had been purposing | you had been purposing | they had been purposing |
Conditional |
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I would purpose | you would purpose | he/she/it would purpose | we would purpose | you would purpose | they would purpose |
Past Conditional |
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I would have purposed | you would have purposed | he/she/it would have purposed | we would have purposed | you would have purposed | they would have purposed | ThesaurusNoun | 1. | purpose - an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; "his intent was to provide a new translation"; "good intentions are not enough"; "it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs"; "he made no secret of his designs"aim, intent, intention, designgoal, end - the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it; "the ends justify the means"idea, mind - your intention; what you intend to do; "he had in mind to see his old teacher"; "the idea of the game is to capture all the pieces"cross-purpose - a contrary aim; "at cross-purposes"final cause - (philosophy) the end or purpose of a thing or processsake - the purpose of achieving or obtaining; "for the sake of argument"view - purpose; the phrase `with a view to' means `with the intention of' or `for the purpose of'; "he took the computer with a view to pawning it"will - a fixed and persistent intent or purpose; "where there's a will there's a way" | | 2. | purpose - what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"function, use, roleusefulness, utility - the quality of being of practical useraison d'etre - the purpose that justifies a thing's existence | | 3. | purpose - the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose; "his determination showed in his every movement"; "he is a man of purpose"determinationfirmness of purpose, resoluteness, resolve, firmness, resolution - the trait of being resolute; "his resoluteness carried him through the battle"; "it was his unshakeable resolution to finish the work"persistency, pertinacity, tenaciousness, tenacity, doggedness, perseverance, persistence - persistent determinationindefatigability, indefatigableness, tirelessness - tireless determinationindustriousness, diligence, industry - persevering determination to perform a task; "his diligence won him quick promotions"; "frugality and industry are still regarded as virtues" | Verb | 1. | purpose - propose or intend; "I aim to arrive at noon"aim, purport, proposeintend, mean, think - have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night" | | 2. | purpose - reach a decision; "he resolved never to drink again"resolvedecide, make up one's mind, determine - reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" |
purposenoun1. reason, point, idea, goal, grounds, design, aim, basis, principle, function, object, intention, objective, motive, motivation, justification, impetus, the why and wherefore The purpose of the occasion was to raise money for charity.2. aim, end, plan, hope, view, goal, design, project, target, wish, scheme, desire, object, intention, objective, ambition, aspiration, Holy Grail (informal) They are prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their purpose.3. determination, commitment, resolve, will, resolution, initiative, enterprise, ambition, conviction, motivation, persistence, tenacity, firmness, constancy, single-mindedness, steadfastness The teachers are enthusiastic and have a sense of purpose.4. use, good, return, result, effect, value, benefit, profit, worth, gain, advantage, outcome, utility, merit, mileage (informal), avail, behoof (archaic) Talking about it will serve no purpose.on purpose deliberately, purposely, consciously, intentionally, knowingly, wilfully, by design, wittingly, calculatedly, designedly Was it an accident, or did she do it on purpose?purposenoun1. The proper activity of a person or thing:function, job, role, task.2. What one intends to do or achieve:aim, ambition, design, end, goal, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, point, target, view, why.Idioms: end in view, why and wherefore.3. Unwavering firmness of character, action, or will:decidedness, decision, decisiveness, determination, firmness, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, toughness, will, willpower.verbTo have in mind as a goal or purpose:aim, contemplate, design, intend, mean, plan, project, propose, target.Regional: mind.Translationspurpose (ˈpəːpəs) noun1. the reason for doing something; the aim to which an action etc is directed. What is the purpose of your visit? 目的 目的2. the use or function of an object. The purpose of this lever is to stop the machine in an emergency. 效果,作用 效果,作用 3. determination. a man of purpose. 意志,決心 意志,决心 purposeful adjective having a definite purpose. with a purposeful look on his face. 有目的的 有目的的ˈpurposefully adverb 有目的 有目的ˈpurposeless adjective having no purpose. purposeless destruction. 無目的的 无目的的ˈpurposely adverb intentionally. He did it purposely to attract my attention. 特意地,故意地 特意地,故意地 ˌpurpose-ˈbuilt adjective made or built for a particular need or purpose. People who use wheelchairs sometimes live in purpose-built houses. 特意製作的,專用的 特意制作的,专用的 on purpose intentionally. Did you break the cup on purpose? 故意地,為了 故意地,为了 serve a purpose to be useful in some way. 對...適合,對...有用 对...适合,对...有用 to no purpose with no useful results. 不得要領的,徒勞無功 不得要领的,不合适的
purpose See:- accidentally on purpose
- accidentally-on-purpose
- all intents and purposes, for (to)
- answer (one's) purpose
- answer purpose
- at cross purposes
- at cross-purposes
- be at cross purposes
- be/talk at cross purposes
- cross purpose
- devil can quote Scripture for his own purpose
- for (all) practical purposes
- for all intensive purposes
- for all intents and purposes
- for all practical purposes
- for practical purposes
- for sake
- on purpose
- serve (one's) purpose
- serve a purpose
- serve a, his, its, etc. purpose
- serve the purpose
- talk at cross purposes
- the devil can quote scripture for his own purpose
- to all intents and purposes
- to good purpose
- to little purpose
- to little/good/some/no purpose
- to no purpose
- to some purpose
- to the purpose
Purpose
Purpose or end, that element of human behavior and conscious activity which represents the mentally anticipated result of an action and ways of achieving that result. Purpose is a means of integrating individual human actions—fitting them into a certain sequence or system. The assumption that activity is goal-directed implies a demonstrable discrepancy between life situations and purposes. Eliminating the discrepancy means realizing one’s purpose. Among the ancient philosophers’ doctrines regarding purpose, the most important was the one developed by Aristotle, who interpreted purpose as “that for the sake of which” something exists. Extending to nature the concept of purpose characteristic of human activity, Aristotle viewed purpose as the ultimate cause of existence (causa finalis). In medieval philosophy the true purpose of existence was identified with the purpose of eternal divine reason. In the prevailing teleological interpretation, history and nature were regarded as realizing the divine purpose. The modern age was marked by the rationalistic treatment of human activity as directed toward a goal, or purpose. I. Kant associated purpose with the sphere of practical reason—man’s free moral activity. He identified three different kinds of purposes: (1) technical purposes, relating to ability, (2) pragmatic purposes, relating to the goodness and content of actions, and (3) the categorical imperative, relating to the universal obligatory principle of human actions. In the philosophy of F. von Schelling and G. Hegel, purpose was held to be an objective teleological concept. Hegel, who considered purpose to be a form of objectivization of the spirit, treated nature and history as the means by which the “absolute spirit” was realized on earth; Hegel’s teleology, in other words, was connected with theology. At the same time, it was within the framework of objective idealism that Hegel sought to discover the dialectics of purpose and of the means and results of activity, advancing the idea of “the cunning of reason,” or the lack of correspondence between the purposes and the results of activity. The crisis of bourgeois ideology was reflected in the criticism of the concept of purpose—that is, criticism of the rationalistic treatment of human existence—and in the attempts to redefine its content. In 20th-century bourgeois philosophy, the integrative function of the concept of purpose is rejected, exclusive emphasis being placed on the disparity between purposes and results (W. Wundt); the accepted basis for the study of human behavior is not purposeful change but adaptation to the environment; and finally, alternative means are proposed for the integration of human activity, such as the concept of value in neo-Kantianism. The juxtaposition of causality and purpose led bourgeois philosophy to indeterminism and to the denial (especially marked in existentialism) of the objectively conditional nature of the purpose of human activity. Perceiving purposes, or ends, as a factor in human activity and in the transformation of the environment, Marxism stresses their objective conditionality: “men’s ends are engendered by the objective world and presuppose it” (V. I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 29, p. 171). Marxism interprets purpose as the reflection of objective needs; in Marx’ words, it is “an ideal, internally motivating stimulus of production” (see K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 12, p. 717). Purpose is seen as a law that determines the methods and the nature of men’s actions (see K. Marx, ibid., vol. 23, p. 188); it is a specific mechanism whereby individual actions form an integrated system of ends, means, and results. Purpose is the plan of action that determines the nature of various acts and operations and their proper order in the system. The dialectics of ends, means, and results are examined as a specific instance of the dialectics of the material and the ideal; thus purpose can be regarded as the conceptual anticipation of the result of activity, and activity as the complex process whereby purpose is realized—the process of selecting the best of all available means and planning the activity. A specifically Marxist typology has been proposed, distinguishing between individual and social purposes, between strategic and tactical goals, and between an actual, or concrete, end and an ideal. Marxism emphatically rejects the fallacious thesis that “the end justifies the means.” History shows that the use of antihumanitarian means to achieve humanitarian ends leads to dehumanization of the ends themselves and results in their being replaced by false goals. To quote Marx, “an end for which unjust means are required is not the right end” (ibid., vol. 1, p. 65). In modern science, the concept of purpose has been examined in cybernetics research (where the principle of feedback is applied), in studies of the physiology of functional activities, and in the context of the theory of systems—particularly of purposeful systems. REFERENCESMarx, K. Nishcheta filosofii. In K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 4. Marx, K. Ekonomichesko-filosofskie rukopisi 1844 g. Ibid., vol. 42. Lenin, V. I. Filosofskie tetradi. Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 29. Trubnikov, N. N. O kategoriiakh “tsel’,” “sredstvo,” “rezul’tat.” Moscow, 1968. Ackoff, R. L., and F. E. Emery. O tseleustremlennykh sistemakh. Moscow, 1974. (Translated from English.) “Metodologicheskie problemy issledovaniia deiatel’nosti.” Tr. Vses. n.-i. in-ta tekhnicheskoi estetiki: Ergonomika, 1976, no. 10. Makarov, M. G. Kategoriia “tsel’” v marksistskoi filosofii i kritika teleologii. Leningrad, 1977. Luhmann, N. Zweckbegriff und Systemrationalität. Tübingen, 1968. Taylor, R. Action and Purpose. New York, 1973.A. P. OGURTSOV MedicalSeeLittlepurpose Related to purpose: Purpose statementSynonyms for purposenoun reasonSynonyms- reason
- point
- idea
- goal
- grounds
- design
- aim
- basis
- principle
- function
- object
- intention
- objective
- motive
- motivation
- justification
- impetus
- the why and wherefore
noun aimSynonyms- aim
- end
- plan
- hope
- view
- goal
- design
- project
- target
- wish
- scheme
- desire
- object
- intention
- objective
- ambition
- aspiration
- Holy Grail
noun determinationSynonyms- determination
- commitment
- resolve
- will
- resolution
- initiative
- enterprise
- ambition
- conviction
- motivation
- persistence
- tenacity
- firmness
- constancy
- single-mindedness
- steadfastness
noun useSynonyms- use
- good
- return
- result
- effect
- value
- benefit
- profit
- worth
- gain
- advantage
- outcome
- utility
- merit
- mileage
- avail
- behoof
phrase on purposeSynonyms- deliberately
- purposely
- consciously
- intentionally
- knowingly
- wilfully
- by design
- wittingly
- calculatedly
- designedly
Synonyms for purposenoun the proper activity of a person or thingSynonymsnoun what one intends to do or achieveSynonyms- aim
- ambition
- design
- end
- goal
- intent
- intention
- mark
- meaning
- object
- objective
- point
- target
- view
- why
noun unwavering firmness of character, action, or willSynonyms- decidedness
- decision
- decisiveness
- determination
- firmness
- purposefulness
- resoluteness
- resolution
- resolve
- toughness
- will
- willpower
verb to have in mind as a goal or purposeSynonyms- aim
- contemplate
- design
- intend
- mean
- plan
- project
- propose
- target
- mind
Synonyms for purposenoun an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actionsSynonymsRelated Words- goal
- end
- idea
- mind
- cross-purpose
- final cause
- sake
- view
- will
noun what something is used forSynonymsRelated Words- usefulness
- utility
- raison d'etre
noun the quality of being determined to do or achieve somethingSynonymsRelated Words- firmness of purpose
- resoluteness
- resolve
- firmness
- resolution
- persistency
- pertinacity
- tenaciousness
- tenacity
- doggedness
- perseverance
- persistence
- indefatigability
- indefatigableness
- tirelessness
- industriousness
- diligence
- industry
verb propose or intendSynonymsRelated Wordsverb reach a decisionSynonymsRelated Words- decide
- make up one's mind
- determine
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