rudimentary

American  

[roo-duh-men-tuh-ree, -tree] / ˌru dəˈmɛn tə ri, -tri /

Often rudimental

adjective

1. pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary.

   a rudimentary knowledge of geometry.

   Synonyms:

   initial, fundamental

   Antonyms:

   advanced

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

   Synonyms:

   embryonic

   Antonyms:

   mature

3. in an early, imperfect stage or form.

   How can we improve upon this admittedly rudimentary theory?

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rudimentary British  

/ ˌruːdɪˈmɛntərɪ /

adjective

1. basic; fundamental; not elaborated or perfected

2. incompletely developed; vestigial

   rudimentary leaves

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Related Words

See elementary.

Other Word Forms

• nonrudimental adjective
• nonrudimentarily adverb
• nonrudimentarilyness noun
• nonrudimentary adjective
• rudimentarily adverb
• rudimentariness noun

Etymology

Origin of rudimentary

First recorded in 1600–20; rudiment + -ary

Example Sentences

In the 1970s, Zambia's recording studios were rudimentary and there was no established recording industry.

From BBC

The story is rudimentary: Elongated blue cat people prepare for a gigantic battle with the nasty, militarized, heartless, corporation-backed human colonists, or “sky people.”

From The Wall Street Journal

But the rudimentary methods used in Vietnam's craft villages produce dangerous emissions and expose workers to toxic chemicals, experts say.

From Barron's

It was so rudimentary that it was often impossible to tell what a program did from descriptions as vague as “extension No. 4” or “allocation of funds,” according to people who saw the spreadsheet.

From Salon

Roughly one in eight freshmen lack rudimentary high-school math skills, defined as geometry, algebra and algebra 2.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• elemental
• elementary
• embryonic
• primitive
• simple