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

They are structural, and a defining feature of his policies, his view of democracy and society, and his relationship to the American people and the world.

From Salon • May 26, 2026

Critics say the changes she has made have been more cosmetic than structural.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

“There, we might see some structural damage, but it would be a little bit more limited,” Freeman said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Researchers observed major structural differences at the cellular level.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

By the end of the fourteenth century, nearly all of music’s vital components had been discovered: notation, both melodic and rhythmic; structural organisation; and polyphony, the layering of voices on top of one another.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• anatomical
• architectural
• basic
• constitutional
• skeletal