fundamental

[ fuhn-duh-men-tl ]

/ ˌfʌn dəˈmɛn tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fundamental ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.

of, relating to, or affecting the foundation or basis: a fundamental revision.

being an original or primary source: a fundamental idea.

Music. (of a chord) having its root as its lowest note.

noun

a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part: to master the fundamentals of a trade.

Also called fundamental note, fundamental tone. Music.

the root of a chord.
the generator of a series of harmonics.

Physics. the component of lowest frequency in a composite wave.

Nearby words

fund supermarket, fund-raise, fund-raiser, fund-raising, fundament, fundamental, fundamental bass, fundamental constant, fundamental force, fundamental frequency, fundamental interaction

Origin of fundamental

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin fundāmentālis of, belonging to a foundation. See fundament, -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR fundamental

1 indispensable, primary.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fundamental ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

fun·da·men·tal·i·ty, fun·da·men·tal·ness, nounfun·da·men·tal·ly, adverbnon·fun·da·men·tal, adjective, nounnon·fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb

un·fun·da·men·tal, adjectiveun·fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fundamental

This is a testament to the fundamental human—and American—desire to combine place and possibility.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the meantime, we continue to support the restoration of fundamental human rights in Cuba.
Why Congress Hates Your Cuban Rum|Tim Mak|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, for America there is a fundamental imperative to act.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack|Gordon G. Chang|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This fundamental conservative idea, that men are brutes so women better take care, is, itself, victim-blaming.
Church Sex Scandals Are Rooted in Theology|Jay Michaelson|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yet the Meduza office was full of hope and what the journalists described as a fundamental change—they felt free in Riga.
Russia’s Freest Website Now Lives in Latvia|Anna Nemtsova|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole science of great military combination is comprised in these two fundamental truths.
The Art of War|Baron Henri de Jomini
The only fundamental determinations, therefore, which cannot be wholly resolved into each other, are matter and form.
A History of Philosophy in Epitome|Albert Schwegler
To give freedom through freedom is the fundamental law of this realm.
The Aesthetical Essays|Friedrich Schiller
The two subspecies of H. microcephala agree more closely in this parameter than in fundamental frequency.
Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala Group|William E. Duellman
The fundamental law of eugenics demands that all education be exerted for parenthood.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume I. (of IV.)|W. Grant Hague, M.D.

British Dictionary definitions for fundamental

fundamental

/ (ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl) /

adjective

of, involving, or comprising a foundation; basic

of, involving, or comprising a source; primary

music denoting or relating to the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series

of or concerned with the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration

noun

a principle, law, etc, that serves as the basis of an idea or system

the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
the bass note of a chord in root position

Also called: fundamental frequency, first harmonic physics

the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
the frequency of this component

Derived Forms

fundamentality or fundamentalness, noun

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

fundamental

adjective

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of fundamental

SYNONYMS FOR fundamental

Related forms

Examples from the Web for fundamental

British Dictionary definitions for fundamental

fundamental

adjective

noun

Derived Forms