Fundamental
//ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A basic truth, elementary concept, principle, rule, or law. An individual fundamental will often serve as a building block used to form a complex idea. singular
- 2 the lowest tone of a harmonic series wordnet
- 3 A collection of essential component ideas that are often grouped together to serve as the foundational basis of a complex idea. plural
"one of the fundamentals of linear algebra"
- 4 any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business wordnet
- 5 The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
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- 6 The lowest partial of a complex tone.
Adjective
- 1 Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation.
- 2 Essential; extremely important.
"a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom; a fundamental element; fundamental principle; fundamental law"
Adjective
- 1 serving as an essential component wordnet
- 2 being or involving basic facts or principles wordnet
- 3 far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"There is a fundamental difference between your opinion and mine."
Etymology
From Late Latin fundamentālis, from Latin fundamentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.