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.

"The award is an affirmation of his enduring global influence and the foundational role he has played in the evolution and impact of Africa on modern music," he said.

From Barron's

It means the ability to design, train, operate, secure and deploy foundational AI systems capable of highly advanced functions in national defense and other sensitive areas of the state without external permission or dependence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fifteen manuscripts from the museum’s collection are presented alongside four contemporary paintings by Harmonia Rosales to explore how one of the most foundational stories has evolved—and stayed the same—across the centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal

DeepSeek’s success accelerated the pace of development across other Chinese AI labs and cemented open-weight as the de facto standard for China’s foundational models.

From MarketWatch

You make yourself weaker in the world when you lose foundational friendships.

From The Wall Street Journal

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