Meaning & use
functional work
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
work that is practical and useful rather than decorative or artistic.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'functional work', not 'a functional work' when talking about this type of activity.
Patterns
- do functional work
- functional work rather than art
- functional work in design
The studio does functional work like furniture and tools, not paintings.
Her early functional work included kitchenware and simple lamps.
The exhibition separates functional work from purely decorative pieces.
noununcountabletechnical
work that is operating or performing as intended, especially in testing or maintenance.
Grammar: Often used in technical or business contexts: check that the system does functional work.
Patterns
- perform functional work
- functional work on a system
- test for functional work
The engineers confirmed the new pump does functional work under pressure.
We spent the morning doing functional work on the software before the launch.
The report describes the functional work of each department.
Common combinations
- functional work of art
- The bowl is both a functional work of art and a useful object.
- do functional work
- The team does functional work that keeps the factory running.
- functional work environment
- They created a functional work environment with clear desks and good light.
- functional work assessment
- The doctor ordered a functional work assessment to see if he could return to his job.
Synonyms and how they differ
- practical work
- Use 'practical work' for hands-on tasks; 'functional work' often stresses usefulness over appearance.
- applied work
- Use 'applied work' for work that uses theory in real situations; 'functional work' focuses on whether something works.
Opposites
Word family
- function noun
- the purpose or special duty of a person or thing.
- functional adjective
- designed to be practical and useful.
- functionally adverb
- in a way that relates to how something works.
Commonly confused: functional work or functioning?
functional work vs functioning
'Functioning' means working or operating; 'functional' can also mean practical rather than decorative.
Practice
The museum displays ______ work such as chairs and lamps that people can actually use.
Choose one answer.
'Functional' is the adjective before 'work'. 'Function' is a noun or verb, 'functionally' is an adverb, and 'functioning' would mean 'working' rather than 'practical'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “functional work”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.