elemental
Americanadjective
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of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple; uncompounded.
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pertaining to rudiments or first principles.
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starkly simple, primitive, or basic.
a spare, elemental prose style; hate, lust, and other elemental emotions.
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pertaining to the agencies, forces, or phenomena of physical nature.
elemental gods.
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comparable to the great forces of nature, as in power or magnitude.
elemental grandeur.
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of, relating to, or of the nature of the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or of any one of them.
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pertaining to chemical elements.
adjective
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fundamental; basic; primal
the elemental needs of man
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motivated by or symbolic of primitive and powerful natural forces or passions
elemental rites of worship
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of or relating to earth, air, water, and fire considered as elements
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of or relating to atmospheric forces, esp wind, rain, and cold
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of, relating to, or denoting a chemical element
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elemental
From the Medieval Latin word elementālis, dating back to 1485–95. See element, -al 1
Vocabulary lists containing elemental
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.
It’s a source of both elemental mystery and childlike wonder.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
Even if you never bore witness to that outrageous performance, its elemental alchemy vibrates in the band’s most popular songs, each of them calling to us with purpose.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Beyond potential technological applications, the researchers believe the discovery may point to similar hidden topological features in other elemental and transition-metal ferromagnets.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
For he focuses at least as much attention on the natural world’s own elemental power and its ability to mold humanity in its image.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
This was labor she recognized, she understood the elemental rhythms of planting and harvest, the lessons and imperatives of the shifting seasons.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
