structurally

structurally — adverb

1. used for describing the way that the separate pieces or elements of a system, bu

1.adverbB2
Definition

used for describing the way that the separate pieces or elements of a system, building, organization, or other complex whole are connected and arranged in relation to each other

Example

The old railway bridge is still structurally sound after sixty years of use.

structurally + adjective (sound, different, similar)

Haruto argued that the two countries' education systems are structurally different.

Common collocations
  • structurally sound
  • structurally different
  • structurally similar
  • structurally damaged
  • structurally weak
  • structurally distinct
Synonyms
  • architecturally

    more specific to building design and construction; 'structurally' is broader and also applies to systems and organizations

  • internally

    focuses on what is inside rather than how parts connect; less precise

  • organizationally

    limited to the arrangement of people or processes within an institution, not physical objects

Usage Note

Frequently used before adjectives (structurally sound, structurally different) or past participles (structurally damaged) to describe the internal makeup of something. Common in engineering, architecture, and academic contexts.

Common Mistakes

The building is structurally.
The building is structurally sound.
'structurally' is an adverb and must modify an adjective, verb, or other adverb; it cannot be used alone as a complement.
Structurally, the plan was good, but the cost was too high.' (when meaning 'basically' or 'in principle').
In principle, the plan was good, but the cost was too high.
'structurally' refers to arrangement of parts, not to a general evaluation of a plan's merit.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Structurally' is the broadest term, describing how parts connect and function together in any kind of complex whole — physical, organizational, or conceptual. 'Architecturally' is narrower and refers only to the design and aesthetic arrangement of buildings or software systems. 'Organizationally' applies exclusively to how people, teams, or processes are arranged within an institution. 'Internally' looks at what is inside something without necessarily describing how the parts connect. 'Constitutionally' refers to the inherent or essential makeup of something, often with a legal or physiological sense. For example, 'The bridge is structurally sound' (how its pieces fit together); 'The building is architecturally striking' (its design); 'The company is organizationally divided into three teams' (people and roles); 'He is constitutionally unable to lie' (essential nature).

architecturallyorganizationallyinternally ↗constitutionally

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'structura' (a building, way of building, arrangement), derived from 'struere' (to build, arrange). Entered English via French 'structure' in the 15th century. The adverb form 'structurally' developed in the early 1600s as English speakers needed a way to describe how things are built or organized in terms of their underlying arrangement.