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

The proposal would face resistance from congressional Republicans, private insurers, and others opposed to fundamentally restructuring the country’s healthcare system. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 12 Nov. 2026

The best explanation for why people are no longer having babies is that child-rearing at the scale necessary to maintain populations is fundamentally at odds with the structures of modern life and modern societies. — Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2026

Focusing exclusively on whether proprietary technology or trade secrets were transferred fundamentally misunderstands the potential intelligence value of such an operation. — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026

Moving forward with an office that would fundamentally change how Los Angeles County is governed, without first resolving these questions, is putting the cart before the horse. — CBS News, 10 Nov. 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