fundamentally

adverb

fun·​da·​men·​tal·​ly ˌfən-də-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

: with regard to what is basic, essential, or fundamental : at a fundamental level

a fundamentally honest person

a fundamentally new/different approach

Most theories of the internal structure of Venus begin with the assumption that the planet is fundamentally similar to the earth …

—Andrew and Louise Young

: in a basic or fundamental manner

This "disposable" work force is the most important trend in business today, and it is fundamentally changing the relationship between Americans and their jobs.

—Janice Castro

Examples of fundamentally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ultimately, even when she’s supposed to play the most antagonistic female archetype, Darlene is simply too much of a mood and a vibe, and her fundamentally anti-Karen nature is good for TV but bad for the judging criteria in this challenge. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2026

For a series built entirely around the tension and intimacy between two rival hockey players, pushing that element to the back half of a six-episode season would have fundamentally reshaped the story. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2026

This creates permanent skin damage around the well, fundamentally destroying its natural permeability and crippling its long-term productivity. —Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026

Even if a verdict doesn’t force the companies to fundamentally change the way Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube work, new laws might. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fundamentally

• accidentally
• detrimentally
• governmentally
• incidentally
• incrementally
• instrumentally
• sentimentally
• temperamentally
• coincidentally
• environmentally
• experimentally
• mentally