“I want to do something meaningful with my life.”

You're frustrated with your job. You feel like it's stressful, and you're only doing it to make money, not to help other people. You're talking to your friend about it. This is how explain what kind of job you want to have.

I want to do something meaningful with my life.

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something (adjective)

You use this phrase, "something (adjective)" to mean "something that is (adjective)":

I'm in the mood for something light.

She said something mean to me as I was walking by.

You can use "anything" in the same way:

Don't buy anything expensive.

meaningful

When you describe something as "meaningful", you usually mean that it's good, in a way that helps other people, makes a friendship stronger, improves the environment, follows your religious beliefs, etc. You can use "meaningful" to talk about things like:

  • a meaningful conversation
  • making a meaningful contribution to society (doing things to help society)
  • meaningful song lyrics

do something meaningful with (one's) life

You may sometimes hear this phrase. People often talk about "doing something meaningful with" their lives. This usually means that they want to have a job that makes them feel happy, makes them well-known and respected, and gives them a chance to help people. For example, you can say to someone who's doing interesting medical research:

I envy you. You're actually doing something meaningful with your life.