cross-purpose

[ kraws-pur-puh s, kros- ]
/ ˈkrɔsˈpɜr pəs, ˈkrɒs- /

noun

an opposing or contrary purpose.

Idioms for cross-purpose

    at cross-purposes, in a way that involves or produces mutual misunderstanding or frustration, usually unintentionally.

Origin of cross-purpose

First recorded in 1660–70

Words nearby cross-purpose

cross-ply tire, cross-pollinate, cross-pollination, cross-post, cross-posting, cross-purpose, cross-question, cross-react, cross-reacting agglutinin, cross-reacting antibody, cross-reaction

Words related to at cross purposes

inimical, hostile, opposing, averse, antithetical, disputed, anti, conflicting, repelling, clashing, crossing, counter, rival, facing, warring, battling, combating, denying, exposing

British Dictionary definitions for at cross purposes

cross-purpose

noun

a contrary aim or purpose
at cross-purposes conflicting; opposed; disagreeing

Idioms and Phrases with at cross purposes

at cross purposes

With aims or goals that conflict or interfere with one another, as in I'm afraid the two departments are working at cross purposes. This idiom, first recorded in 1688, may have begun as a 17th-century parlor game called “cross-purposes,” in which a series of subjects (or questions) were divided from their explanations (or answers) and distributed around the room. Players then created absurdities by combining a subject taken from one person with an explanation taken from another.