structural

American  

[struhk-cher-uhl] / ˈstrʌk tʃər əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to structure; relating or essential to a structure.

2. resulting from or relating to political or economic structure: structural inequalities;

   structural reforms to the social safety net;

   structural inequalities;

   structural racism.

3. Biology. relating to organic structure; morphological.

4. Geology. of or relating to geological structure, as of rock or strata.

5. Chemistry. relating to or showing the arrangement or mode of attachment of the atoms that constitute a molecule of a substance.

6. of, relating to, or based on the assumption that the elements of a field of study are naturally arranged in a systematic structure.

   structural grammar.

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noun

1. Building Trades.

   1. a part of a structure that carries a load.

   2. the structural member used for such a part.

structural British  

/ ˈstrʌktʃərəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or having structure or a structure

2. of, relating to, or forming part of the structure of a building

3. of or relating to the structure and deformation of rocks and other features of the earth's crust

4. of or relating to the structure of organisms; morphological

5. chem of, concerned with, caused by, or involving the arrangement of atoms in molecules

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Other Word Forms

• nonstructural adjective
• nonstructurally adverb
• structurally adverb
• unstructural adjective
• unstructurally adverb

Etymology

Origin of structural

First recorded in 1825–35; structure + -al ¹

Explanation

When you're talking about something structural you're talking about the way it's built. The simple look of a building can mask its complex structural design. A skeleton is the structural framework of a body. While we all look different on the outside, for the most part, we all share the same structural components — we're built the same way. Some buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, reveal their structural design completely. They are nothing but structure. Other buildings work hard to hide their structural qualities. You can discuss the structural nature of ideas too, as in "structural economics" or even human relationships.

Example Sentences

Looking ahead, the healthcare conglomerate expects to gain FDA approval for Tremfya for the inhibition of structural joint damage for patients with psoriatic arthritis, it says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In March, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the country's long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings, citing "structural weakness in global diamond demand."

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

That may help explain why structural brain changes and cognitive scores may not align in the same way for women and men.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

He told a press conference on Monday that it also posed health risks to troops by contaminating the water and fish, and could damage the coral reefs that help support the vessel's structural foundations.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Ignatius rapidly surveyed its contours for structural defects.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• anatomical
• architectural
• basic
• constitutional
• skeletal