teleology.

Explanation or interpretation in terms of goals or purposes.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• teleology of an account
• teleological explanation

On the page

The account’s teleology treated the final result as if it had guided every stage.

The critique distinguished teleology from a documented intention held by participants.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: explicit explanation, scope and categorization, proof and interpretation, philosophical foundations. Disciplines: academic writing, formal reasoning, philosophy. Commonness: moderately common.