# functional

/ˈfəŋkʃənəɫ/ (US) · /fˈʌŋkʃənəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/functional
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. working correctly

adjective · CEFR B2

working correctly and ready to use.

For teachers: in good working order; operational and performing its intended task.

- The elevator is finally functional again after being broken for a week.
- Engineers worked through the night to ensure the cooling system was fully functional before the reactor was brought back online.

### 2. practical and useful

adjective · CEFR B2

designed to be useful and practical rather than just attractive.

For teachers: designed for utility and purpose rather than aesthetic appeal.

- The furniture in the office is functional but not very comfortable.
- The architect prioritised a functional layout that facilitated easy movement between departments over more decorative, traditional design elements.

### 3. relating to a role

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

relating to the specific job or purpose someone or something has.

For teachers: relating to a specific function, role, or office.

- The manager has a functional responsibility to oversee the budget.
- The restructuring aimed to clarify functional boundaries between the research and development teams to prevent overlapping duties.

### 4. medical symptoms

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

used to describe health problems that affect how the body works but do not show physical damage.

For teachers: referring to symptoms or disorders that affect physiological performance without an apparent organic or structural cause.

- The doctor explained that his stomach pain was a functional disorder caused by stress.
- Functional neurological disorders can present with significant motor impairment despite the absence of visible lesions on a standard MRI scan.

### 5. programming style

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

a way of writing computer code based on mathematical functions.

For teachers: relating to a programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids changing-state and mutable data.

- Functional programming languages like Haskell are popular for complex data analysis.
- The team decided to adopt a functional approach for the new microservice to minimize side effects and improve code testability.

### 6. math function

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a special type of mathematical rule that takes a function as its input.

For teachers: a function whose domain is a set of functions and whose range is a set of scalars.

- In his advanced math class, he learned how to calculate a linear functional.
- The researcher defined a functional that mapped each continuous path to its total energy consumption over a fixed interval.

## Examples

- The new office furniture is functional but not very stylish.
- After the software update, the system is fully functional and all previous bugs are resolved.
- The architect prioritised a functional layout that facilitated natural light and movement, arguing that a building's beauty should emerge from its utility.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.