0%

cross-purpose

cross-pur·pose
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [kraws, kros pur-puh s]
    • /krɔs, krɒs ˈpɜr pəs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [kraws, kros pur-puh s]
    • /krɔs, krɒs ˈpɜr pəs/

Definitions of cross-purpose word

  • noun cross-purpose a contrary aim or purpose 3
  • noun cross-purpose a contrary or conflicting purpose 3
  • noun cross-purpose an opposing or contrary purpose. 1
  • idioms cross-purpose at cross-purposes, in a way that involves or produces mutual misunderstanding or frustration, usually unintentionally. 1
  • noun cross-purpose (Idiomatic) A contrary or conflicting purpose or understanding, especially an unintentional or misconceived one. 0
  • noun cross-purpose (dated) A conversational game, in which questions and answers are made so as to involve ludicrous combinations of ideas. 0
See all 6 definitions of cross-purpose

Information block about the term

Origin of cross-purpose

First appearance:

before 1660
One of the 46% oldest English words
First recorded in 1660-70

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Cross-purpose

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Cross-purpose

cross-purpose popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 32% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 64% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

Synonyms for cross-purpose

noun cross-purpose

  • discord — lack of concord or harmony between persons or things: marital discord.
  • dissent — to differ in sentiment or opinion, especially from the majority; withhold assent; disagree (often followed by from): Two of the justices dissented from the majority decision.
  • disunity — lack of unity or accord.
  • argument — An argument is a statement or set of statements that you use in order to try to convince people that your opinion about something is correct.
  • friction — surface resistance to relative motion, as of a body sliding or rolling.
All 50 Synonyms of cross-purpose

Antonyms for cross-purpose

noun cross-purpose

  • concurrence — Someone's concurrence is their agreement to something.
  • accord — An accord between countries or groups of people is a formal agreement, for example to end a war.
  • juncture — a point of time, especially one made critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances: At this juncture, we must decide whether to stay or to walk out.
  • friendship — the state of being a friend; association as friends: to value a person's friendship.
  • acquiescence — Acquiescence is agreement to do what someone wants, or acceptance of what they do even though you do not agree with it.
All 13 Antonyms of cross-purpose

See also

Matching words

Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?