Words / P / Law

purposive

adjective/ˈpɜːpəsɪv/

C2CEFR level
80/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

Construing a text so as to give effect to its underlying purpose.

A purposive interpretation prevailed over the literal wording of the provision.

Similar: teleological

Topic: EU law in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: EU law