structural

[struhk-cher-uhl]

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.

noun

1. Building Trades.

   1. a part of a structure that carries a load.

   2. the structural member used for such a part.

structural

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• structurally adverb
• nonstructural adjective
• nonstructurally adverb
• unstructural adjective
• unstructurally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of structural¹

First recorded in 1825–35; structure + -al ¹

Example Sentences

While it does not involve dramatic structural changes, the team still observed meaningful shifts in network organization.

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This four-stage pattern of structural decline may be a signal for other Antarctic ice shelves that appear to be entering similar phases of weakness.

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Some of the structural issues, at least, are settled, but a chaotic conference could set the tone and roadmap on where the start-up party goes from here.

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The Depression marked the first time unemployment was seen as structural crisis rather than personal failure.

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Later timers turn on more gradually, giving important experiences the structural support needed to persist.

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Related Words

• anatomical 
• architectural 
• basic 
• constitutional 
• skeletal