structural

[struhk-cher-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR structural ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

Biology. pertaining to organic structure; morphological.

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

Chemistry. pertaining to or showing the arrangement or mode of attachment of the atoms that constitute a molecule of a substance.Compare structural formula.

resulting from or pertaining to political or economic structure.

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.

noun

Building Trades.

a part of a structure that carries a load.
the structural member used for such a part.

Origin of structural

First recorded in 1825–35; structure + -al¹

Related formsstruc·tur·al·ly, adverbnon·struc·tur·al, adjectivenon·struc·tur·al·ly, adverbun·struc·tur·al, adjectiveun·struc·tur·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for structural

skeletal, constitutional, architectural, basic, anatomical, formative, organic, anatomic, formalistic, formational, tectonic

Examples from the Web for structural

Contemporary Examples of structural

Nor do these studies address the structural and systematic issues that contribute to obesity, such as poverty and stress.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail
Carrie Arnold
December 30, 2014
Common sense is not a just a normative judgment about wisdom, but a structural feature of any functioning organization.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans
Philip K. Howard
December 27, 2014
Sadly, the end of the Cold War has given license to structural decay.
Stock Market America and the Rest of Us
Lloyd Green
July 10, 2014
At the structural level, I was impressed with the variety and range of oversight mechanisms in place.
Here’s Who Should Watch the Watchmen
Geoffrey R. Stone
April 23, 2014
How do structural brain changes correlate with emotional and behavioral symptoms?
Study Says Half of Jailed NYC Teens Have History of Brain Injury
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
April 22, 2014

Historical Examples of structural

But what proportion is there between the structural alteration and the functional result?
A Critical Examination Of The Position Of Mr. Darwin's Work, "On The Origin Of Species," In Relation To The Complete Theory Of The Causes Of The Phenomena Of Organic Nature
Thomas H. Huxley
My information is that you did talk about structural matters.
Secret Armies
John L. Spivak
By "type" von Baer means the structural plan of the organism.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
But they did not conceive the cell as a living, independent, structural unit.
Form and Function
E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
Most important is the comprehension of the structural implications of literacy.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for structural

structural

adjective

of, relating to, or having structure or a structure

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

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

of or relating to the structure of organisms; morphological

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

Derived Formsstructurally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for structural

adj.

1835, from structure + -al (1). Related: Structurally.