cross purposes
Goals that clash
Cross purposes describes a situation where people are working toward different, incompatible goals without realizing it, or misunderstanding each other's intentions.
To be at cross purposes is to act in ways that inadvertently conflict: We were talking at cross purposes—I meant next Tuesday, she meant this one.
The phrase suggests miscommunication rather than deliberate opposition.
Absence of shared opinion
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- discordLack of agreement
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
tension · contention · dispute · antagonism · pulling apart · rivalry · strife · confrontation
Separation from common origin
- discrepancyDifference between expected and actual
- mismatchIncompatible combination
- incongruityLack of harmony
- dissonanceLack of harmony
out of sync · uncoordinated · inconsistency · disparity · disharmony · disconnect · disjunction · asynchrony
Failed exchange of meaning
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- mixed signalsContradictory indications from someone
- disconnectTo break a connection
talking past · ambiguity · misread · garbled · babel · misconstrue · at odds · lost in translation
Intense weary annoyance
- futilityLack of purpose
- spinning wheelsFiber-twisting textile devices
- going nowhereLacking progress or direction
- counterproductiveHindering intended outcome
self-defeating · vexation · aggravation · stalemate · deadlock · impasse · chagrin · disappointment
disagreement
Absence of shared opinion
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- discordLack of agreement
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
friction · tension · contention · dispute · antagonism · pulling apart · rivalry · strife · confrontation · counterproductive
divergence
Separation from common origin
- discrepancyDifference between expected and actual
- mismatchIncompatible combination
- incongruityLack of harmony
dissonance · out of sync · uncoordinated · inconsistency · disparity · disharmony · disconnect · disjunction · asynchrony · incompatibility
miscommunication
Failed exchange of meaning
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- mixed signalsContradictory indications from someone
disconnect · talking past · ambiguity · misread · garbled · babel · misconstrue · at odds · lost in translation · muddled
exasperation
Intense weary annoyance
- futilityLack of purpose
- spinning wheelsFiber-twisting textile devices
- going nowhereLacking progress or direction
counterproductive · self-defeating · vexation · aggravation · stalemate · deadlock · impasse · chagrin · disappointment · annoyance
- incompatibilityoil and water, chalk and cheese, apples and oranges, mismatch, clash
cross purposescommon purpose
Goal held by many
common goal · same page · common cause · shared vision · solidarity
cross purposesharmony
Agreement or musical blend
coordination · in sync · in concert · in tandem · cooperation
cross purposesmutual understanding
Shared agreement between parties
on the same wavelength · clear communication · seeing eye to eye · meeting of minds · simpatico
cross, purpose, crosses, crossed, crossing, crosser, crossly, purposes, purposed