fundamentally

American  

[fuhn-duh-men-tl-ee] / ˌfʌn dəˈmɛn tl i /

adverb

1. in a fundamental and essential way; centrally and foundationally.

   a nine-point plan that will fundamentally transform our system of eldercare.

2. as regards the basic nature, character, or truth of something; basically and often emphatically.

   Fundamentally, they just want their independence.

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fundamentally British  

/ ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəlɪ /

adverb

1. in a way that affects the basis or essentials; utterly

   the terms of engagement have been fundamentally altered

2. (sentence modifier) in essence; at heart

   fundamentally, we want our lives to be safe

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Other Word Forms

• nonfundamentally
  adverb
• unfundamentally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fundamentally

First recorded in 1600–20; fundamental ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

The word fundamentally isn’t fun, exactly, but it does describe things that are true through and through. Vegetarians and meat eaters often have fundamentally different ideas about what makes a healthy meal. Anything fundamental has to do with the foundation or bare bones of something. Similarly, anything described fundamentally is getting down to the essence. Lying is fundamentally dishonest. If something is fundamentally wrong, don’t do it! If you and your dad have fundamentally different opinions about restaurants, it’s better to make dinner at home. This word means about the same as basically or essentially. If something is fundamentally true, it's true in a deep sense.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fundamentally

And he fundamentally gets the peril we’ve put ourselves in by entrusting Zuckerberg, who is, at minimum, an ethically askew man.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

“AI is just a fundamentally different can of worms than crypto. Most people don’t interact with crypto on a regular basis, but AI is meeting people at their doorsteps,” Morse told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Alberta's economy is unique. is fundamentally different than the rest of Canada's - we have the people, the institutions, the infrastructure to excel," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

"The ability to change a DNA sequence of our choosing into a new sequence of our choosing is a fundamentally very powerful capability," Liu told AFP in an interview in 2025.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

What made it fundamentally different from the other housing units of Sing Sing was that its inmates did not, as a rule, leave the building; in fact, they barely left their cells.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover