structural
Americanadjective
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of or relating to structure; relating or essential to a structure.
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resulting from or relating to political or economic structure: structural inequalities;
structural reforms to the social safety net;
structural inequalities;
structural racism.
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Biology. relating to organic structure; morphological.
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Geology. of or relating to geological structure, as of rock or strata.
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Chemistry. relating to or showing the arrangement or mode of attachment of the atoms that constitute a molecule of a substance.
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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
adjective
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of, relating to, or having structure or a structure
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of, relating to, or forming part of the structure of a building
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of or relating to the structure and deformation of rocks and other features of the earth's crust
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of or relating to the structure of organisms; morphological
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chem of, concerned with, caused by, or involving the arrangement of atoms in molecules
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of structural
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.
Vocabulary lists containing structural
Latin Love, Vol I: struere
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Unit 3: Cellular Systems
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Architecture 101
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
“We still see central-bank buying as the strongest structural force in the gold market and expect Western-world investment demand to pick up again,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Mobile UK, which represents the major phone providers, said there were "unique structural and capacity challenges" to keeping good train signal.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
“But this is far from a structural contagion of any sort for the overall space economy.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Delbriick’s speedy approval pleased me, for he had ambivalent feelings about the ultimate value to biology of Pauling-like structural studies.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
