basic

¹ American  

[bey-sik] / ˈbeɪ sɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental.

   a basic principle; the basic ingredient.

   Synonyms:

   underlying, basal, primary, key, essential, elementary

2. Chemistry.

   1. pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a base. bases.

   2. not having all of the hydroxyls of the base replaced by the acid group, or having the metal or its equivalent united partly to the acid group and partly to oxygen.

   3. alkaline.

3. Metallurgy. noting, pertaining to, or made by a steelmaking process basic process in which the furnace or converter is lined with a basic or nonsiliceous material, mainly burned magnesite and a small amount of ground basic slag, to remove impurities from the steel.

4. Geology. (of a rock) having relatively little silica.

5. Military.

   1. primary.

      basic training.

   2. of lowest rank.

      airman basic.

6. Slang.

   1. (especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior.

      those basic girls who follow trends.

   2. (of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal.

      His lyrics are just so basic.

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noun

1. Military.

   1. basic training.

   2. a soldier or airman receiving basic training.

2. Often basics. something that is fundamental or basic; an essential ingredient, principle, procedure, etc..

   to learn the basics of music; to get back to basics.

3. Slang. a person, especially a female, who is boringly predictable or unoriginal.

BASIC ² American  

[bey-sik] / ˈbeɪ sɪk /

noun

Computers.

1. a widely adopted programming language that uses English words, punctuation marks, and algebraic notation to facilitate communication between the operator or lay user and the computer.

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basic ¹ British  

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or forming a base or basis; fundamental; underlying

2. elementary or simple

   a few basic facts

3. excluding additions or extras

   basic pay

4. chem

   1. of, denoting, or containing a base; alkaline

   2. (of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical

      basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2

5. metallurgy of, concerned with, or made by a process in which the furnace or converter is made of a basic material, such as magnesium oxide

6. (of such igneous rocks as basalt) containing between 52 and 45 per cent silica

7. military primary or initial

   basic training

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noun

1. (usually plural) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

BASIC ² British  

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

noun

1. a computer programming language that uses common English terms

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BASIC Scientific  

/ bā′sĭk /

1. A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.

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Usage

What else does basic mean? In slang, basic characterizes someone or something as unoriginal, unexceptional, and mainstream. A basic girl—or basic b*tch as she is often insulted—is said to like pumpkin spice lattes, UGG boots, and taking lots of selfies, for instance.

Other Word Forms

• nonbasic adjective
• quasi-basic adjective

Etymology

Origin of basic¹

First recorded in 1835–45; base ¹ + -ic

Origin of BASIC²

First recorded in 1965–70; B(eginner's) A(ll-purpose) S(ymbolic) I(nstruction) C(ode)

Example Sentences

Families were loaded on to tipper trucks and driven about 30 minutes away to Kubwa, an area where residents say basic amenities were missing and tensions emerged with the original inhabitants.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Or if they have, they have never gleaned even the most basic lesson from the long-running gag about Lucy, Charlie Brown and the football.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The citizenship clause would not accomplish its most basic function of overruling Dred Scott.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Find insight on palm oil futures, global fertilizer flows, London’s miners and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Rhythmic learning concerns understanding three basic concepts: the macrobeat, the microbeat, and melodic rhythm.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• elemental
• essential
• key
• main
• necessary
• primary
• primitive
• underlying
• vital