Fundamental
[fʌndə'ment(ə)l] or [,fʌndə'mɛntl]
Definition
(noun.) the lowest tone of a harmonic series.
(noun.) any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business; 'fundamentals include a company's growth, revenues, earnings, management, and capital structure'.
(adj.) being or involving basic facts or principles; 'the fundamental laws of the universe'; 'a fundamental incomatibility between them'; 'these rudimentary truths'; 'underlying principles' .
(adj.) far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something; 'the fundamental revolution in human values that has occurred'; 'the book underwent fundamental changes'; 'committed the fundamental error of confusing spending with extravagance'; 'profound social changes' .
Editor: Martin--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation. Hence: Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary; as, a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom.
(n.) A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part, as, the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
Checker: Scott
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Essential, primary, important, indispensable, radical, constitutional, organic.
n. Leading principle, essential part.
Typed by Dave
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Primary, important, indispensable, essential
ANT:Secondary, unimportant, adventitious, ascititious, nonessential
Typed by Debora
Definition
adj. essential basal primary: important.—n. that which serves as a groundwork: an essential.—ns. Fund′ament the lower part or seat of the body; Fundamental′ity.—adv. Fundament′ally.
Edited by Griffith
Examples
- Recourse to the primitive may furnish the fundamental elements of the present situation in immensely simplified form. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- These fundamental principles have since been adopted and incorporated in their laws by all the nations of the earth. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- They have bee n recognized as fundamental from antiquity. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- It contains as fundamental truths as have been uttered about education in conjunction with a curious twist. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- It was a fundamental principle of the Gradgrind philosophy that everything was to be paid for. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- One of the fundamental problems of education in and for a democratic society is set by the conflict of a nationalistic and a wider social aim. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- The things which are socially most fundamental, that is, which have to do with the experiences in which the widest groups share, are the essentials. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- Mo reover, the electrical theory of matter lends support to the hypothesis that there is a fundamental unitary element underlying all the so-called elements. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- The 'base,' or 'fundamental number, which has 1/3 added to it' (1 and 1/3) = 4/3 or a musical fourth. Plato. The Republic.
- This, notwithstanding it was a fundamental error, was pardoned, and excited an expression of loud applause from the gallery auditors. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Now it will be evident that most of these fundamental statements are very questionable statements. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- At present men are accustomed to eulogize intelligence and reason in general terms; their fundamental importance is urged. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- The fundamental laws which he gives are not supposed to change with time and circumstances. Plato. The Republic.
- If the string is made to vibrate in two parts, it gives forth two notes, the fundamental, and a note one octave higher than the fundamental; this is called the first overtone. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- This is manufactured under the fundamental patents of Dudley, Nos. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- Let us ape Roger Bacon in his prophetic mood, and set down what we believe will be the broad fundamentals of the coming world state. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Whoever is removing the stunting environments of our occupations is doing the fundamentals of reform. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Checked by Evan