foundational

Rarely foun·da·tion·ar·y

[foun-dey-shuh-nl]

adjective

1. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of foundational¹

foundation ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Although the technology is constantly improving, the alcohol-removal process is seen by many to erase fragile grape aromas, while the alcohol is also viewed as a foundational flavour.

Read more on Barron's

The report highlights China’s control of obscure areas of industry, such as the foundational semiconductor chips that are the “workhorse components that drive the modern economy and a modern military.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That foundational constitutional authority in turn supports Title 10 USC 12406, which allows a president to call up the militia — but only under specific, statutorily defined circumstances.

Read more on Salon

Second, they replaced the standard sapphire substrate with high-purity silicon, a material foundational to the computing industry.

Read more on Science Daily

Sisterhood wouldn’t be sisterhood without “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott’s foundational depiction of the vicissitudes of 19th century family life in New England.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• central 
• constitutional 
• crucial 
• elemental 
• elementary 
• essential 
• indispensable 
• integral 
• intrinsic 
• major 
• necessary 
• paramount 
• principal 
• radical 
• significant 
• structural 
• theoretical 
• underlying 
• vital