propositionally

Propositionally is an adverb derived from the adjective propositional, and it is used to describe something that relates to or concerns propositions—the content of statements that can be true or false. The term appears most often in philosophical and logical discussions where precise reference to the content of a sentence or claim is important.

In logic and semantics, propositionally is used to distinguish aspects tied to the truth-conditional content of statements from other features such as linguistic form, syntax, or quantificational structure. For example, one might discuss a sentence’s propositionally true status, meaning that its underlying proposition is true, independent of how the sentence is phrased. The concept is closely associated with propositional logic, which models truth-functional relationships between whole propositions rather than involving quantifiers or predicates about objects.

The distinction between propositionally and related terms can be subtle. Propositional logic focuses on propositional forms and their truth-values, while predicate logic broadens analysis to include properties, relations, and quantification over individuals. In some contexts, propositionally is used to emphasize content over form or to analyze the semantic contribution of a sentence at the level of its propositions, rather than its grammatical construction.

Usage tends to be specialized and more common in analytic philosophy, linguistic semantics, and formal logic. In everyday writing, writers typically employ propositional or related terms, reserving propositionally for contexts that specifically foreground the propositional content of statements.

See also: propositional logic, propositional calculus, propositional attitude, truth conditions.