teleological.

Explaining something by its intended purpose or goal.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• teleological explanation
• teleological argument

On the page

The critic rejected a teleological reading of the events.

Her teleological explanation treated the outcome as if it had been intended.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Normally non-gradable as a relation or classification; comparisons require a meaningful context. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.