rudimentary

[ roo-duh-men-tuh-ree, -tree ]
See synonyms for rudimentary on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary: a rudimentary knowledge of geometry.

  2. Biology. of the nature of a rudiment; undeveloped or vestigial.

  1. in an early, imperfect stage or form: How can we improve upon this admittedly rudimentary theory?

Origin of rudimentary

1
First recorded in 1600–20; rudiment + -ary
  • Often ru·di·men·tal [roo-duh-men-tl] /ˌru dəˈmɛn tl/ .

synonym study For rudimentary

1. See elementary.

Other words for rudimentary

Opposites for rudimentary

Other words from rudimentary

  • ru·di·men·ta·ri·ly [roo-duh-men-tair-uh-lee, -men-ter-uh-lee], /ˌru də mɛnˈtɛər ə li, -ˈmɛn tər ə li/, adverb
  • ru·di·men·ta·ri·ness, noun
  • non·ru·di·men·tal, adjective
  • non·ru·di·men·ta·ri·ly, adverb
  • non·ru·di·men·ta·ri·lyness, noun
  • non·ru·di·men·ta·ry, adjective

Words Nearby rudimentary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rudimentary in a sentence

  • Accommodation was cheap, manners were easy, and knowledge of the gay city less than rudimentary.

  • Again, the whole external ear may be looked upon as a rudimentary structure, since it does not appear to aid the hearing in man.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • Its rudimentary form is the attraction between atoms, which expands into the attraction between spheres.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • The original in this piece is confined to the passage-work, and has not yet got out of the rudimentary stage.

  • Of course, there were moments when Pat displayed intelligence but it was of the most rudimentary sort.

    The Boy Grew Older | Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for rudimentary

rudimentary

less commonly rudimental

/ (ˌruːdɪˈmɛntərɪ) /


adjective
  1. basic; fundamental; not elaborated or perfected

  2. incompletely developed; vestigial: rudimentary leaves

Derived forms of rudimentary

  • rudimentarily or rare rudimentally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012