intentioned
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɪntˈɛnʃənd/
US
- /ˌɪnˈtɛntʃənd/
Description
- with a purpose
- done on purpose
- meaning well
- having a motive
You will rarely see intentioned by itself in everyday English. Most of the time, it appears in forms like "well-intentioned" or "ill-intentioned" to describe the purpose behind a person's action. In that use, the word points to motive rather than result: a well-intentioned comment may still hurt someone, and an ill-intentioned act clearly comes from bad motives. On its own, the word can suggest that something was done with a purpose, but that use is uncommon and can sound unnatural today.
The word intentioned is an adjective connected to purpose, motive, and what someone means by an action. In modern English, however, it is not usually used alone. You are far more likely to meet it in fixed forms such as "well-intentioned" and "ill-intentioned." These forms describe the quality of a person's intentions, not whether the final result was good or bad.
That distinction matters. A "well-intentioned" friend may honestly want to help, even if the advice is not useful. An "ill-intentioned" message, on the other hand, carries a sense of harm, spite, or hidden bad purpose. The word therefore often tells a story about what was in the person's mind before the action happened.
If you want to say that something was done on purpose, "intentional" is usually the more natural word. If you want to talk about whether someone's motives were good or bad, forms like "well-intentioned" and "ill-intentioned" are the usual choices. So, intentioned belongs more to the language of motive than to the simple idea of deliberate action, and its standalone use is rare in present-day English.
Examples
- 1
Unhelpful advice
Her well-intentioned advice only made him feel more nervous.
Phrase
well-intentioned
meant to help, even if it does not help
- 2
Policy effects
The policy was well-intentioned, but it created extra work for teachers.
- 3
Suspicious behavior
Be careful around anyone who seems ill-intentioned.
Phrase
ill-intentioned
wanting to cause harm or trouble
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- intentioned