functionally.

In terms of what something does or how it works in practice.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• functionally equivalent
• functionally distinct

On the page

The devices were functionally equivalent despite using different mechanisms.

The departments were functionally distinct even though they shared an administrative office.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Invariable adverb; no plural or tense forms. Comparison is used only where a particular degree naturally permits it. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: inference, qualification, analysis, methodology. Disciplines: academic writing, reasoning, research. Commonness: moderately common.