fundamental
Americanadjective
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serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying.
fundamental principles;
the fundamental structure.
- Synonyms:
- primary, indispensable
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of, relating to, or affecting the foundation or basis.
a fundamental revision.
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being an original or primary source.
a fundamental idea.
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Music. (of a chord) having its root as its lowest note.
noun
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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.
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Also called fundamental tone. Also called fundamental note,. Music.
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the root of a chord.
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the generator of a series of harmonics.
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Physics. the component of lowest frequency in a composite wave.
adjective
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of, involving, or comprising a foundation; basic
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of, involving, or comprising a source; primary
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music denoting or relating to the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
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of or concerned with the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
noun
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a principle, law, etc, that serves as the basis of an idea or system
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the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
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the bass note of a chord in root position
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Also called: fundamental frequency. first harmonic. physics
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the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
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the frequency of this component
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Other Word Forms
- fundamentality noun
- fundamentally adverb
- fundamentalness noun
- nonfundamental adjective
- nonfundamentally adverb
- unfundamental adjective
- unfundamentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of fundamental
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin fundāmentālis “of, belonging to a foundation”; fundament, -al 1
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.
Which leaves opportunities for those who do the old-fashioned fundamental research.
From Barron's
“It is making investors question the fundamental underpinning of the profitability of a lot of industries.”
Strong economic fundamentals supported stock market performance throughout 2025 despite significant policy uncertainty.
From Los Angeles Times
There’s no meaningful deterioration in underlying fundamentals, he says.
"If the government wants to survive it urgently needs to stand up for workers and defend the fundamental values of our movement," she added on X.
From Barron's
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.
