rudimentary

American  

[roo-duh-men-tuh-ree, -tree] / ˌru dəˈmɛn tə ri, -tri /

Often rudimental

adjective

1. pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary.

   a rudimentary knowledge of geometry.

   Synonyms:

   initial, fundamental

   Antonyms:

   advanced

2. Biology. of the nature of a rudiment; undeveloped or vestigial.

   Synonyms:

   embryonic

   Antonyms:

   mature

3. in an early, imperfect stage or form.

   How can we improve upon this admittedly rudimentary theory?

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rudimentary British  

/ ˌruːdɪˈmɛntərɪ /

adjective

1. basic; fundamental; not elaborated or perfected

2. incompletely developed; vestigial

   rudimentary leaves

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Related Words

See elementary.

Other Word Forms

• nonrudimental adjective
• nonrudimentarily adverb
• nonrudimentarilyness noun
• nonrudimentary adjective
• rudimentarily adverb
• rudimentariness noun

Etymology

Origin of rudimentary

First recorded in 1600–20; rudiment + -ary

Example Sentences

From its origins as a rudimentary headcount under colonial rule, India's census questionnaire has steadily expanded in scope, mirroring the state's changing priorities.

From BBC

“I went to see how these little stores in New York got their supplies, and I really thought it was very rudimentary and not very efficient,” he said during the talk in 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal

Anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of recent history would have known this was likely.

From Salon

"It's the most rudimentary mine, the cheapest one, and the main threat in the Strait of Hormuz," said the former high-ranking member of the navy.

From Barron's

I began a rudimentary collection of rocks, stones, sticks, shells, and even fish bones.

From Literature

Related Words

• elemental
• elementary
• embryonic
• primitive
• simple