cross-purpose
noun
cross-pur·pose
ˈkrȯs-ˈpər-pəs 
: a purpose usually unintentionally contrary to another purpose of oneself or of someone or something else
—usually used in plural
the two were always working at cross-purposes
Examples of cross-purpose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hitler’s Germany and Prime Minister Benito Mussolini’s Italy worked at cross-purposes in crises over Austria in 1934 and Ethiopia in 1935.
—
Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2024
She's got her own motivations and delusions of grandeur, and the Forsaken often work at cross-purposes.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 22 Sep. 2023
Perhaps fittingly, then, the plan’s execution seems to be under a spell too, with everyone lost in an entanglement of sloppiness, cross-purposes and bad luck.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2023
Though the flows are manicured and melodic, the bars stumble over the album’s cross-purposes.
—Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023
Their loose confederation has its cross-purposes and is united mainly by hostility toward the United States.
—Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Over the last year, the Fed’s duties as an inflation fighter and a bank regulator have been at cross-purposes.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Added difficulty stems from the fact that typical solutions for them can work at cross-purposes.
—Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2023
In my experience, nothing can hold a team back more than using different spreadsheets for cross-purposes.
—Rahul Shah, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2024
She's got her own motivations and delusions of grandeur, and the Forsaken often work at cross-purposes.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 22 Sep. 2023
Perhaps fittingly, then, the plan’s execution seems to be under a spell too, with everyone lost in an entanglement of sloppiness, cross-purposes and bad luck.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2023
Though the flows are manicured and melodic, the bars stumble over the album’s cross-purposes.
—Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023
Their loose confederation has its cross-purposes and is united mainly by hostility toward the United States.
—Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Over the last year, the Fed’s duties as an inflation fighter and a bank regulator have been at cross-purposes.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
Added difficulty stems from the fact that typical solutions for them can work at cross-purposes.
—Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2023
In my experience, nothing can hold a team back more than using different spreadsheets for cross-purposes.
—Rahul Shah, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cross-purpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cross-purpose
Cite this Entry
“Cross-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-purpose. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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