The phrase “for all intents and purposes” originated in legal language and means “in most practical situations”. Malapropisms like “for all intensive purposes” corrupt its meaning. It’s best to use the phrase correctly to avoid confusion.
The phrase for all intents and purposes or for all intents and purposes is often used in a variety of circumstances. Tends to mean in most common circumstances, in most practical situations, or for practical purposes. Another interpretation could be in practical situations.
The phrase originated in legal parlance in the 1500s and may have first been used in court cases in England. The initial wording may have been “for all purposes, constructions and purposes”. Some point out that pluralizing “intent” is unnecessary since the word can be singular or plural without an “s” at the end, such as “your intent” or “their intent.”
In a modern sense, this phrase could be used in the following example. A person is interviewing for a job and the boss wants to hire him. He might say, “We still need to check your references, but for all intents and purposes, the job is yours.” Providing the candidates’ references are good, he’s got the job and, based on practical considerations, he can be considered an employee.
Unfortunately, the phrase has gotten a bit more complicated due to the many misquotes or malapropisms that are used instead. A common substitution is “for all intensive purposes”. This is very commonly used and means something almost directly opposite to the meaning of the original sentence of “for practical purposes”.
If the person was just hired for an “all purpose intensive” job, it could be argued that that person was just hired to work in an emergency room or intensive care unit. The person may only consider the prospect of a job in intense or very intense situations. Now this is probably not what the speaker meant, but it deliberately corrupts the meaning of the original sentence.
Another malapropism associated with this phrase is “for all intensity and purpose.” This doesn’t really make sense because “intense” is an adjective and doesn’t match the noun “purposes.” Some people try to solve this by saying “for all intense purposes”, and this will create problems again as it is in direct conflict with the original meaning.
Although some modern online dictionaries are defining “all-purpose heavy” as an idiomatic expression meaning “for all intents and purposes”, it still doesn’t make much sense. Even in its original form, the sentence is somewhat redundant. Intent and purposes are basically similar words in definition, and it may be wise to simply avoid the phrase altogether. Those who intend to use it in writing or speaking, however, should use it correctly so that the meaning remains clear.
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