noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F AH2 NG K SH AH0 N AE1 L IH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The ability to do a task, performance, or execution; a set of functions that something is able or equipped to perform.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
In trademark law, the tendency of a product design to serve a function other than the identification of the product, preventing that design from being protected as a trademark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The presence of a functional group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
capable of serving a purpose well
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
software with greater functionality
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: practicality
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Old French fonction Middle French functionbor. English function English -al English functional Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English functionality From functional + -ity.
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.