functional

American  

[fuhngk-shuh-nl] / ˈfʌŋk ʃə nl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a function or functions.

   functional difficulties in the administration.

2. capable of operating or functioning.

   When will the ventilating system be functional again?

3. having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed.

   functional architecture; a chair that is functional as well as decorative.

4. Also functionalistic (of a building or furnishing) constructed or made according to the principles of functionalism or primarily as a direct fulfillment of a material need.

5. Medicine/Medical. without a known organic cause or structural change.

   a functional disorder.

6. pertaining to an algebraic operation.

   a functional symbol.

7. Linguistics. (of linguistic analysis, language teaching, etc.) concerned with the communicative role of language rather than, in addition to, or as the framework for its formal structure.

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noun

1. Mathematics. a function that has a domain whose elements are functions, sets, or the like, and that assumes numerical values.

functional British  

/ ˈfʌŋkʃənəl /

adjective

1. of, involving, or containing a function or functions

2. practical rather than decorative; utilitarian

   functional architecture

3. capable of functioning; working

4. med affecting a function of an organ without structural change

5. psychol

   1. relating to the purpose or context of a behaviour

   2. denoting a psychosis such as schizophrenia assumed not to have a direct organic cause, like deterioration or poisoning of the brain Compare organic psychosis

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noun

1. maths a function whose domain is a set of functions and whose range is a set of functions or a set of numbers

Other Word Forms

• functionality noun
• functionally adverb
• hyperfunctional adjective
• hyperfunctionally adverb
• multifunctional adjective
• nonfunctional adjective
• nonfunctionally adverb
• prefunctional adjective
• semifunctional adjective
• semifunctionally adverb
• subfunctional adjective
• subfunctionally adverb
• superfunctional adjective
• unfunctional adjective
• unfunctionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of functional

First recorded in 1625–35; function + -al ¹

Explanation

Use the adjective functional to describe something that is made to do a specific job, such as the functional alarm clock feature on a digital stopwatch. The word functional comes from the Latin word functionem, meaning "performance, execution." It can also describe whether something is working properly. This is what shoppers at a garage sale want to be sure of before they leave with an old television — they plug it in to make sure it's functional. In this case the opposite of functional is useless.

Example Sentences

When the scheme began in 15 schools in 2015, it was much more functional.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Operating as a functional sculpture, the Bat Shelf is a collaboration between London artists Hannah Lim and Hugo Harris.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The guideline came from Paltrow’s years of conversations with functional doctors and nutritionists, where she asked questions like, “What are the allergens that tend to cause the most inflammation in people?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Intel’s manufacturing yields—the ratio of functional chips to the maximum possible—in its newest chip-making process are too low.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

He identified the most common and most functional uses for bricks and blankets and simply stopped.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• practical
• useful
• utilitarian