Synonyms

foundational

American

[foun-dey-shuh-nl] / faʊnˈdeɪ ʃə nl /

Rarely foundationary

adjective

of or relating to the basis or groundwork on which something rests or is built; needing to be understood or established at the beginning.

We believe that fostering a strong local community is a foundational component of our inner-city scholarship program, guiding everything else we do.

Other Word Forms

foundationally adverb

Etymology

Origin of foundational

foundation ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

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.

“There were a lot of foundational traumas with my parents.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Bell Labs, the legendary research-and-development organization, created foundational innovations like transistors that pervade the modern world.

From The Wall Street Journal

The researchers see it as a foundational design that could eventually be developed into practical tools for clinical and laboratory use.

From Science Daily

The quiet inclusion suggests that the foundational machinery of the U.S.-Japan alliance continues to signal a shared deterrent against Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal

With all its horrors, the Iran-Iraq war also created the foundational myth of the Islamic Republic, cementing its power for the ensuing decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023