Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A usually unintentionally conflicting or contrary purpose.
  • idiom (at cross-purposes) Pursuing conflicting or contrary goals, usually unintentionally.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An opposing or counter purpose; a conflicting intention or plan; a plan or course of action running counter to the plan or course of action purposed by another: most frequently in the plural: as, they are pursuing cross-purposes.
  • noun plural A sort of conversational game; a game of words or phrases used at random.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A counter or opposing purpose; a contrary aim; hence, that which is inconsistent or contradictory.
  • noun A conversational game, in which questions and answers are made so as to involve ludicrous combinations of ideas.
  • noun to misunderstand or to act counter to one another without intending it; -- said of persons.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun idiomatic A contrary or conflicting purpose or understanding, especially an unintentional or misconceived one.
  • noun dated A conversational game, in which questions and answers are made so as to involve ludicrous combinations of ideas.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a contrary aim

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