End
End noun - Something that one hopes or intends to accomplish.
Usage example: in this case the ends definitely do not justify the means
Purpose is a synonym for end in intention topic. In some cases you can use "Purpose" instead the word "End" as a noun or a verb, when it comes to topics like aim, result, objective, consequence. popular alternative
Purpose
Purpose noun - Something that one hopes or intends to accomplish.
Usage example: the purpose of the research is to discover how the virus is transmitted
End is a synonym for purpose in intention topic. You can use "End" instead the word "Purpose" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as aim, result, objective, consequence. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| good | good end | good purpose |
| better | better end | better purpose |
| similar | similar end | similar purpose |
| normal | normal end | normal purpose |
| Other adjectives: original, true, logical, actual, entire, real, dark, ultimate, possible, final, apparent, official, different, opposite, higher. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Not that they're any happier about it, but as the film is quite bleak, they usually eventually resign to their intended purpose and end up dying.
Source: Walking Transplant -
At the end of the game the protagonist Booker is revealed to have completely (albeit unintentionally) fabricated his memories and as a result, his entire purpose for traveling to Columbia.
Source: Self-Serving Memory -
Apart from her musical number at the end, she has little to no screen time - and, as a result, less purpose in the movie.
Source: Disney / Zootopia
Cite this Source
Purpose and End. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/purpose
End & Purpose. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/purpose>.
Purpose or End. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/purpose.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "end" and "purpose" have occurred on timeline