intentional

[Charles Doyle]

A syndicated column appearing in this morning's newspaper contained an odd use (or so it seemed to me) of the word "intentional."

The writer is Leonard Pitts (and it's an admirable column!): "Have we lost that much capacity to be serious and intentional about our own lives and futures?" (_Athens [GA] Banner-Herald_, A6). That sense of the word--something like 'purposeful'--doesn't quite match any of the meanings recorded in the OED, though it resembles some esoteric uses in philosophical discourse.

--Charlie
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