basic

[ bey-sik ]

/ ˈbeɪ sɪk /

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adjective

of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental: a basic principle; the basic ingredient.

Chemistry.

pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a base.
not having all of the hydroxyls of the base replaced by the acid group, or having the metal or its equivalent united partly to the acid group and partly to oxygen.
alkaline.

Metallurgy. noting, pertaining to, or made by a steelmaking process (basic process ) in which the furnace or converter is lined with a basic or nonsiliceous material, mainly burned magnesite and a small amount of ground basic slag, to remove impurities from the steel.Compare acid (def. 9).

Geology. (of a rock) having relatively little silica.

Military.

primary: basic training.
of lowest rank: airman basic.

Slang.

(especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior: those basic girls who follow trends.
(of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal: His lyrics are just so basic.

noun

Military.

basic training.
a soldier or airman receiving basic training.

Often basics. something that is fundamental or basic; an essential ingredient, principle, procedure, etc.: to learn the basics of music; to get back to basics.

Slang. a person, especially a female, who is boringly predictable or unoriginal.

OTHER WORDS FOR basic

1 elementary, essential, key, primary; basal; underlying.

See synonyms for basic on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of basic

First recorded in 1835–45; base¹ + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM basic

non·ba·sic, adjectivequasi-basic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH basic

basic , BASIC

Other definitions for basic (2 of 2)

BASIC

[ bey-sik ]

/ ˈbeɪ sɪk /

noun Computers.

a widely adopted programming language that uses English words, punctuation marks, and algebraic notation to facilitate communication between the operator or lay user and the computer.

Origin of BASIC

1965–70; B(eginner's)A(ll-purpose)S(ymbolic) I(nstruction)C(ode)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH BASIC

basic, BASIC

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use basic in a sentence

The men use the dolls to practice the basics of caring for babies.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Despite the obvious ongoing problems with disease and access to basics, the future of Africa is bright.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa|Christian Borys|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Spire, like most fountains, has the basics -- Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Brisk Iced Tea and SoBe Lifewater.
Font of Invention||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, LaFrieda, Hanna-Korpi, and Dawson all see a general back-to-basics approach from hereon in.
Have We Reached ‘Peak Burger’? The Crazy Fetishization of Our Most Basic Comfort Food|Brandon Presser|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It may be time to kick these new age diet fads and get back to basics.
Helen Mirren Trains Like the Air Force; Kendall Jenner Denied Kim Kardashian at Her Shows|The Fashion Beast Team|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is hovering on the borders of a region containing this planet we are to land on—a region operating on other basics.
Unthinkable|Roger Phillips Graham
In some way both sets of basics operate in either conflict or compromise.
Unthinkable|Roger Phillips Graham
With the new basics it does just that—except that it is still just one car, and yet never was just one car and never will be.
Unthinkable|Roger Phillips Graham
This Nation will not go back to the days of simply shuffling children along from grade to grade without them learning the basics.
State of the Union Addresses of George W. Bush|George W. Bush
That was one of the basics they had lost, years ago—their belief that life would arise on any planet capable of supporting it.
An Empty Bottle|Mari Wolf

British Dictionary definitions for basic (1 of 2)

basic

/ (ˈbeɪsɪk) /

adjective

of, relating to, or forming a base or basis; fundamental; underlying

elementary or simplea few basic facts

excluding additions or extrasbasic pay

chem

of, denoting, or containing a base; alkaline
(of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radicalbasic lead carbonate, 2PbCO 3 .Pb ( OH ) 2

metallurgy of, concerned with, or made by a process in which the furnace or converter is made of a basic material, such as magnesium oxide

(of such igneous rocks as basalt) containing between 52 and 45 per cent silica

military primary or initialbasic training

noun

(usually plural) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

British Dictionary definitions for basic (2 of 2)

BASIC

Basic

/ (ˈbeɪsɪk) /

noun

a computer programming language that uses common English terms

Word Origin for BASIC

C20: acronym of b (eginner's) a (ll-purpose) s (ymbolic) i (nstruction) c (ode)

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

Scientific definitions for basic

BASIC

[ bā′sĭk ]

A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.

basic

OTHER WORDS FOR basic

Origin of basic

OTHER WORDS FROM basic

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH basic

Other definitions for basic (2 of 2)

Origin of BASIC

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH BASIC

Words related to basic

How to use basic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for basic (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for basic (2 of 2)

Basic

Word Origin for BASIC

Scientific definitions for basic