integrally
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈɪntɪɡrəli/
US
- /ˈɪntɪɡrəli/
Description
- as a necessary part
- in a closely joined way
- completely
- throughout the whole
When something is connected in this way, it belongs to the whole in a deep and necessary way. It is not just nearby or loosely related. Think of gears in a clock: each one is joined to the others as part of one working system, so if one fails, the whole mechanism is affected. You might say a value is woven deeply into a culture, meaning it is part of the culture's very center.
It can also mean completely or in all parts, especially in technical or formal writing. In that sense, the word points to something being whole rather than partial. For instance, a writer might say two ideas are linked in this way to show that you cannot fully separate one from the other.
The word "integrally" usually describes something that is joined to a whole in a deep, necessary, and inseparable way. It often suggests that a part belongs to a larger structure, system, or idea so closely that removing it would change the whole thing in an important way. In this sense, the word points to a connection that is built into the nature of something rather than added from the outside.
You often see it in sentences about systems, design, culture, law, science, or relationships between ideas. A foundation is tied to the strength of a building as part of the same structure. Music and lyrics in a song may be linked so closely that each shapes the way you experience the other. Environmental concerns may be tied to economic development in a way that means one cannot be discussed seriously without the other. In each case, the point is not just that the things are related, but that they belong together as parts of one larger reality.
The word can also carry the idea of completeness: something happening fully, entirely, or with all parts included. That use is less common in everyday speech, but it appears in formal and technical writing. The root is related to the idea of wholeness, which helps explain both main senses: being part of a whole, and being whole in itself.
This adverb is more common in formal writing than in casual conversation. It adds precision when you want to show that something is not merely associated with something else, but forms part of it in a basic way, or that something is done completely rather than partly.
Examples
- 1
Built-in design
The camera is integrally built into the laptop, so it cannot be removed.
- 2
School partnership
Local schools are integrally involved in the after-school program.
- 3
Social factors
In the report, health is treated as integrally linked to housing, income, and transport.
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- integrallyadverb