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
• unstructural
  adjective
• nonstructurally
  adverb
• structurally
  adverb
• 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

See Examples For:

structural

The powerful surf exacerbated by the morning's high tide slammed into coastal communities, including Long Beach, where signficiant sections of the boardwalk crumbled under the pounding waves and several homes suffered serious structural damage.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Powerful waves crumbled large sections of the boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula and left several homes with severe structural damage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Deeper structural shifts are also playing a part.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Food and Drug Administration can both stop osteoarthritis pain and prevent the structural breakdown of cartilage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

I can’t help but admire the structural linguists who have carved out for themselves a linguistic discipline based on the deterioration of written communication.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Related Words

• anatomical
• architectural
• basic
• constitutional
• skeletal