Functional

Origin

function + -al

Full definition of functional

Adjective

1. In good working order.
2. Useful; serving a purpose, fulfilling a functionThat sculpture is not merely artistic, but also functional: it can be used as a hatrack.
3. Only for functional purposes, notably in architecture''A functional construction element generally must meet higher technical but lower aesthetical requirements
4. (computing theory) Having semantics defined purely in terms of mathematical functions, without side-effects.
5. (medicine) Of a disease, such that its symptoms cannot be referred to any appreciable lesion or change of structure; opposed to organic disease, in which the organ itself is affected.

Synonyms

• functioning, working
• utilitarian

Antonyms

• non-functional
• dysfunctional
• (medicine: not referrable to a change of structure) organic

Derived terms

Related terms

• functionary

Noun

1. (mathematics) A function that takes a function as its argument; More precisely: A function y=f(x) whose argument x varies in a space of (real valued, complex valued) functions and whose value belongs to a monodimensional space. An example: the definite integration of integrable real functions in a real interval.
2. (mathematics, functional analysis) A scalar-valued linear function on a vector space
3. (computing) An object encapsulating a function pointer (or equivalent).