fundamental
Americanadjective
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serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying.
fundamental principles;
the fundamental structure.
- Synonyms:
- primary, indispensable
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of, relating to, or affecting the foundation or basis.
a fundamental revision.
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being an original or primary source.
a fundamental idea.
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Music. (of a chord) having its root as its lowest note.
noun
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a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part.
to master the fundamentals of a trade.
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Also called fundamental tone, fundamental note. Music.
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the root of a chord.
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the generator of a series of harmonics.
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Physics. the component of lowest frequency in a composite wave.
adjective
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of, involving, or comprising a foundation; basic
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of, involving, or comprising a source; primary
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music denoting or relating to the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
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of or concerned with the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
noun
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a principle, law, etc, that serves as the basis of an idea or system
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the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
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the bass note of a chord in root position
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Also called: fundamental frequency, first harmonic. physics
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the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
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the frequency of this component
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fundamental
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin fundāmentālis “of, belonging to a foundation”; see fundament, -al 1
Explanation
When asked what the fundamental, or essential, principles of life are, a teenager might reply, "Breathe. Be a good friend. Eat chocolate. Get gas money." Fundamental has its roots in the Latin word fundamentum, which means "foundation." So if something is fundamental, it is a key point or underlying issue — the foundation, if you will — that the thing is built upon. Teachers argue that math fundamentals include memorizing the times tables and understanding long division. Many people would also argue that math fundamentals should include knowing how to use a calculator and knowing where the calculator's extra batteries are kept.
Vocabulary lists containing fundamental
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
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Vocabulary from "Community is the 'killer app' missing from virtual reality" by Dmitri Williams
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Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India" Speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It said her actions amounted to serious misconduct, breached fundamental nursing standards and caused both financial and emotional harm.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Reaching this threshold is a fundamental requirement for operating a conventional nuclear reactor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“There is a fundamental storytelling problem here,” said Stuart McLaughlin, head of advocacy at Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, speaking at an event in Manhattan last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Deutsche Bank’s base case is that due to fundamental limitations on the speed AI programs and systems can achieve, we won’t reach superintelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Dante, unlike the philosophers, took his geography seriously, but no philosopher could have found his abandonment of the fundamental principle that the universe was made out of spheres entirely satisfactory.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
