qualitatively

American  

[kwol-i-tey-tiv-lee] / ˈkwɒl ɪˌteɪ tɪv li /

adverb

1. in a way that has to do with the characteristics, properties, or attributes of someone or something.

   This deal has the potential to usher in a qualitatively different relationship, one not of buyer and seller but of coproducers.

   The study suggests that brain white matter may be qualitatively altered in schizophrenia.

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Other Word Forms

• nonqualitatively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of qualitatively

First recorded in 1620–30; qualitative ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

qualitatively

“We can’t go around life hiding our faces, so this isn’t just next step in surveillance, it’s qualitatively different. In a world of facial recognition, when people leave their house it automatically means they’re identified.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

“The risk case of $100-120 oil is in our mind qualitatively different,” Evercore wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

Verizon reported earnings on Wednesday morning, but what the company had to say qualitatively about its future strategy was perhaps more important than any number.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2025

“But having something that can help throw out a bunch of ideas, and be able to reflect on those, that really feels qualitatively different, and like a real opportunity.”

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2024

The DNA of mitochondria is qualitatively different from the DNA of animal cell nuclei and strikingly similar to bacterial DNA; moreover, like microbial DNA, it is closely associated with membranes.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas