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.

RELATED WORDS

essentially, centrally, radically

Nearby words

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 fundamentally

“It fundamentally changes the architecture of forest canopies,” says Watson.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Complementarity also means, of course, than men and women are fundamentally different.
Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?|Jay Michaelson|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two-state solution, if implemented, fundamentally discredits the whole concept of a conspiracy against Islam.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea|Bruce Riedel|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And these initiatives represent an effort to fundamentally rethink our landscape.
Parks and Regeneration|The Daily Beast|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But surely expanding reproductive choice is fundamentally feminist.
Apple and Facebook Are Right to Offer Egg-Freezing|Lizzie Crocker|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I still remain the sinner, fundamentally and potentially at every step the sinner.
The Prodigal Returns|Lilian Staveley
Fundamentally, even in times of peace, there is no sound reason for ever completely closing a day industrial school.
Our Schools in War Time—and After|Arthur Davis Dean
Moreover, the method of procedure in the applied sciences is fundamentally different from that in the pure sciences.
International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I|Various
Fundamentally, of course they object to any separation which gives them inferior accommodations.
Following the Color Line|Ray Stannard Baker
There are, however, two fundamentally different theories concerning "marriage by capture."
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 3 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for fundamentally (1 of 2)

fundamentally

/ (ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəlɪ) /

adverb

in a way that affects the basis or essentials; utterlythe terms of engagement have been fundamentally altered

(sentence modifier) in essence; at heartfundamentally, we want our lives to be safe

British Dictionary definitions for fundamentally (2 of 2)

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 Formsfundamentality 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

Word Origin and History for fundamentally (1 of 2)

fundamentally

adv.

c.1600, from fundamental + -ly (2).

Word Origin and History for fundamentally (1 of 2)

fundamental

adj.

mid-15c., "primary, original, pertaining to a foundation," modeled on Late Latin fundamentalis "of the foundation," from Latin fundamentum "foundation" (see fundament). Fundamentals "primary principles or rules" of anything is from 1630s.