functionalism

[ fuhngk-shuh-nl-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. (usually initial capital letter) Chiefly Architecture, Furniture.
   1. a design movement evolved from several previous movements or schools in Europe in the early 20th century, advocating the design of buildings, furnishings, etc., as direct fulfillments of material requirements, as for shelter, repose, or the serving of food, with the construction, materials, and purpose clearly expressed or at least not denied, and with aesthetic effect derived chiefly from proportions and finish, purely decorative effects being excluded or greatly subordinated.
   2. the doctrines and practices associated with this movement. Compare rationalism ( def 4 ).
2. Psychology. the doctrine that emphasizes the adaptiveness of the mental or behavioral processes.
3. Sociology. Also called structural functionalism. a theoretical orientation that views society as a system of interdependent parts whose functions contribute to the stability and survival of the system.

functionalism

/ ˈfʌŋkʃənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the theory of design that the form of a thing should be determined by its use
2. any doctrine that stresses utility or purpose
3. psychol a system of thought based on the premise that all mental processes derive from their usefulness to the organism in adapting to the environment

functionalism

1. An approach to architecture that adapts the design of a building or other structure to its future use. Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe were notable advocates of functionalism in the twentieth century.

Derived Forms

• ˈfunctionalist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• semi·function·al·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of functionalism¹

First recorded in 1910–15; functional + -ism

Example Sentences

In the 1970s, the language of Modernism ruptured as postmodernists questioned functionalism in architecture and the West’s fundamental belief in Renaissance unity.

From New York Times

“It’s pure functionalism matched with incredible warmth and the ability to find a gesture that is fluid and soft in the middle of a hard thing,” says Hammer Director Ann Philbin.

From Los Angeles Times

Both designers have an affinity for functionalism and honesty in materials, something they attribute to their architecture training.

From Los Angeles Times

The passions that famously drove the Bauhaus, a love of mass production and functionalism, were anathema to this generation.

From New York Times

The show casts a necessarily broad net, given our introverted island wasn’t particularly receptive to the radical cocktail of machine-made functionalism, abstraction and socialism.

From The Guardian