rudimentary
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary.
a rudimentary knowledge of geometry.
- Synonyms:
- initial, fundamental
- Antonyms:
- advanced
-
Biology. of the nature of a rudiment; undeveloped or vestigial.
- Synonyms:
- embryonic
- Antonyms:
- mature
-
in an early, imperfect stage or form.
How can we improve upon this admittedly rudimentary theory?
adjective
-
basic; fundamental; not elaborated or perfected
-
incompletely developed; vestigial
rudimentary leaves
Synonym Usage
See elementary.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rudimentary
Explanation
Rudimentary means basic, or at a very early stage. The test should be easy: it requires only a rudimentary understanding of the materials. The word rude means simple or offensive — and people with only rudimentary understanding of good manners might not know how that belching is rude. If you remember that the word rude is the foundation of rudimentary, you'll have a rudimentary understanding of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing rudimentary
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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.
He would steal ad posters, paint over them with rudimentary cartoon skulls with X’ed-out eyes in pastel colors, then carefully replace them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Around a dozen are close to completion while others sit with the logos of the shipping companies still visible on the outside, rudimentary windows cut out of the sides.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Baseball traditionally relied on rudimentary statistics and strategies, but pioneers like Bill James introduced complex metrics in the late 1970s to better evaluate player value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of recent history would have known this was likely.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
There were even rudimentary first-aid supplies: bandages, iodine, and so forth.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
