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

Building a commercial reactor is fundamentally a systems challenge. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026

But what took place on Tuesday night far exceeded their most rosy expectations and amounted to a rout that will fundamentally change the balance of power in Washington. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

But Cramer questioned whether a single election could fundamentally alter the forces driving the market. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

Probate is fundamentally different from criminal law or complex corporate litigation. — Eric Wargotz, Baltimore Sun, 3 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