structural
adjective
struc·tur·al
ˈstrək-chə-rəl 
ˈstrək-shrəl
1
: of or relating to the physical makeup of a plant or animal body
structural defects of the heart
2
a
: of, relating to, or affecting structure
structural stability
b
: used in building structures
structural clay
c
: involved in or caused by structure especially of the economy
structural unemployment
3
: of, relating to, or resulting from the effects of folding or faulting of the earth's crust : tectonic
4
: concerned with or relating to structure rather than history or comparison
structural linguistics
structurally
adverb
Examples of structural in a Sentence
The house suffered no structural damage.
Recent Examples on the Web
During his election campaign, in a bid to attract young male voters, President Yoon Suk Yeol said structural sexism no longer exists in South Korea and pledged to abolish the ministry for gender equality.
—
Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The rivet wine box bag, with its structural nature and sheer amount of storage space, feels tough enough to withstand a long day in L.A. and is lightweight enough to not drag you down.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
On the other hand, the structural bias of the U.S. film industry has produced a dearth of Vietnamese movie stars.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The structural presentation was exactly the same for both, but Danny’s green dish with scallop mousse and zucchini played with mild flavors while Rasika’s red take with daal quenelle, pickled beets and rasma sauce — an homage to her Tamil heritage — carried balanced depth and spice.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
But in a news release Monday, the Ile-de-France precinct said key structural works in its cleanup plan were yet to be put into place, including the massive new Austerlitz storm water storage basin.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Sam wore a simple form-fitting black dress that had structural details with black peep-toe sandals.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Engineers can also design products with less structural material such as plastic, which would also reduce waste.
—Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The rivet wine box bag, with its structural nature and sheer amount of storage space, feels tough enough to withstand a long day in L.A. and is lightweight enough to not drag you down.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
On the other hand, the structural bias of the U.S. film industry has produced a dearth of Vietnamese movie stars.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The structural presentation was exactly the same for both, but Danny’s green dish with scallop mousse and zucchini played with mild flavors while Rasika’s red take with daal quenelle, pickled beets and rasma sauce — an homage to her Tamil heritage — carried balanced depth and spice.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
But in a news release Monday, the Ile-de-France precinct said key structural works in its cleanup plan were yet to be put into place, including the massive new Austerlitz storm water storage basin.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Sam wore a simple form-fitting black dress that had structural details with black peep-toe sandals.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Engineers can also design products with less structural material such as plastic, which would also reduce waste.
—Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'structural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1801, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Phrases Containing structural
Dictionary Entries Near structural
Cite this Entry
“Structural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/structural. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
structural
adjective
struc·tur·al
ˈstrək-chə-rəl
ˈstrək-shrəl
1
: of, relating to, or affecting structure
structural weaknesses
2
: used or formed for use in construction
structural steel
structurally
adverb
-ē
Medical Definition
structural
adjective
struc·tur·al
ˈstrək-chə-rəl, ˈstrək-shrəl
1
: of or relating to the physical makeup of a plant or animal body
structural defects of the heart
compare functional sense 1a
2
: of, relating to, or affecting structure
structural stability
More from Merriam-Webster on structural
Nglish: Translation of structural for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of structural for Arabic Speakers
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