functional group

noun

: a characteristic reactive unit of a chemical compound especially in organic chemistry

Examples of functional group in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Every functional group should be involved… Marketing, Sales Planning, Merchandising, Packaging, Consumer Promotion, Advertising, Social Media, and Marketing Analytics. Michelle Greenwald, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025 Navigating Stakeholder Buy-In: In almost every company, functional groups like to keep data close to their organization and typically do not like to share it outside of that. Sridhar Ratakonda, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 Scientists can modify the ring by augmenting one or more of the carbon atoms with functional groups of other atoms. IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2024 The methane-producing methanogens had been detected previously, and Raymann’s study provides additional evidence that this functional group is dominant: no non-methanogenic lineages were seen in human samples. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of functional group was in 1892

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Cite this Entry

“Functional group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/functional%20group. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

functional group

noun
: a characteristic reactive unit of a chemical compound

More from Merriam-Webster on functional group

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