structural

American  

[struhk-cher-uhl] / ˈstrʌk tʃər əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to structure; relating or essential to a structure.

2. resulting from or relating to political or economic structure: structural inequalities;

   structural reforms to the social safety net;

   structural inequalities;

   structural racism.

3. Biology. relating to organic structure; morphological.

4. Geology. of or relating to geological structure, as of rock or strata.

5. Chemistry. relating to or showing the arrangement or mode of attachment of the atoms that constitute a molecule of a substance.

6. of, relating to, or based on the assumption that the elements of a field of study are naturally arranged in a systematic structure.

   structural grammar.

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noun

1. Building Trades.

   1. a part of a structure that carries a load.

   2. the structural member used for such a part.

structural British  

/ ˈstrʌktʃərəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or having structure or a structure

2. of, relating to, or forming part of the structure of a building

3. of or relating to the structure and deformation of rocks and other features of the earth's crust

4. of or relating to the structure of organisms; morphological

5. chem of, concerned with, caused by, or involving the arrangement of atoms in molecules

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Other Word Forms

• nonstructural
  adjective
• nonstructurally
  adverb
• structurally
  adverb
• unstructural
  adjective
• unstructurally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of structural

First recorded in 1825–35; structure + -al ¹

Explanation

When you're talking about something structural you're talking about the way it's built. The simple look of a building can mask its complex structural design. A skeleton is the structural framework of a body. While we all look different on the outside, for the most part, we all share the same structural components — we're built the same way. Some buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, reveal their structural design completely. They are nothing but structure. Other buildings work hard to hide their structural qualities. You can discuss the structural nature of ideas too, as in "structural economics" or even human relationships.

Example Sentences

Structural weakness in democratic institutions is usually sufficient to destroy democracies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

The study was published Dec. 15 in "Structural basis for simvastatin-induced skeletal muscle weakness associated with RyR1 T4709M mutation," in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

From Science Daily • Jan. 14, 2026

"Structural headwinds, like geopolitical shifts and the changing role of China in the global economy, remain a severe challenge for German industry," he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

The first charge on an indictment, seen by the BBC, alleges Jalal had targeted the Edinburgh club through its dealings with BSB Structural, a construction company based in Motherwell, Lanarkshire.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

Structural parallelism works not just in poetic and hortatory passages but also in ordinary expository prose.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• anatomical
• architectural
• basic
• constitutional
• skeletal