A term used in architecture, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. It has a slightly different meaning in each context, but in every case it implies a conscious emphasis on delineating how things function within a specific field of inquiry. In architecture, which is in many ways emblematic of the termâs meaning across all disciplines, functionalism refers to a style of building in which design reflects purpose. The so-called international style architects were adherents of this principle. In sociology, linguistics and philosophy, functionalism refers to the starting premise that all aspects of society, from language through social rituals such as marriage to thought itself exist only to serve a particular purpose.