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

Second, and more fundamentally, limestone itself releases CO₂ when it is heated. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 13 Aug. 2026

Rick Osterloh, Google's devices chief, told CNBC in an exclusive interview that the company believes AI could fundamentally change how people interact with smartphones. — Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

Given the enormous amounts of electricity needed to power AI data centers, the boom has fundamentally rewired the energy sector. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

As technologists debate whether AI systems’ possible consciousness warrants a machine version of human rights, the pope insists that humans and machines differ fundamentally. — Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 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