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functionalistic

functionalistic

8.4
About a theory that studies parts by their role in a system
  • adjective
  • /ˌfʌŋkʃəˈnælɪstɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : funcionalista
  • The sociologist adopted a functionalistic perspective to analyze how education supports society.

Examples

  • In her essay, she emphasized a functionalistic view of institutions, analyzing how they contribute to societal stability.

  • Using a functionalistic framework, the researchers explored the roles of various components in the ecosystem.

  • A functionalistic design values the purpose of each component in the system.

  • Her research takes a functionalistic approach to understanding family roles.

  • Is this approach truly functionalistic?

  • A functionalistic perspective can help understand social dynamics.

  • The architect's functionalistic design focused on how each space serves the needs of its occupants.

Synonyms

functional
vsfunctionalistic
60 4.2

About how something works rather than its structure

is more theory focused, stressing parts' roles within a system

How Functional

functionalistic
  • Specialized
8.4
functional
60 4.2

Surface Forms

functionalistic positive

Morphology

functionalistic = functional (semi-transparent) = function + al + istic

Formally derived from 'functional' + '-istic', but when used to mean 'relating to the theory of functionalism' the sense is specialised and not fully predictable from the base adjective.

Etymology

Functionalistic comes from function ('what something does') and the ending -istic ('relating to'), similar to the familiar word functional. So a functionalistic view looks at each part of a system to see the job it 'does', which is why it focuses on roles and purpose in the whole system.