elemental
Americanadjective
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of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple; uncompounded.
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pertaining to rudiments or first principles.
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starkly simple, primitive, or basic.
a spare, elemental prose style; hate, lust, and other elemental emotions.
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pertaining to the agencies, forces, or phenomena of physical nature.
elemental gods.
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comparable to the great forces of nature, as in power or magnitude.
elemental grandeur.
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of, relating to, or of the nature of the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or of any one of them.
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pertaining to chemical elements.
adjective
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fundamental; basic; primal
the elemental needs of man
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motivated by or symbolic of primitive and powerful natural forces or passions
elemental rites of worship
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of or relating to earth, air, water, and fire considered as elements
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of or relating to atmospheric forces, esp wind, rain, and cold
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of, relating to, or denoting a chemical element
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elemental
From the Medieval Latin word elementālis, dating back to 1485–95. See element, -al 1
Vocabulary lists containing elemental
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.
The gnarled roots go deep, with “Dracula” and “Frankenstein”—both from 1931—certainly elemental.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Because these tiny particles could circulate and mix efficiently throughout the disk, they preserved a chemical composition that closely resembles the overall elemental mixture found in the Sun.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
But you watch these episodes, and he’s asking really elemental stuff about humanity.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
The seventh song, Yeah, is a textbook example of tension and release in pop music - that strips the idea down to its most elemental form.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
I felt as though I were caught in a different dimension where death was as present as life, and everything was elemental and terrifying.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
