rudimentary

adjective

ru·​di·​men·​ta·​ry ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē How to pronounce rudimentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē
1
: consisting in first principles : fundamental
had only a rudimentary formal educationD. J. Boorstin
2
: of a primitive kind
the equipment of these past empire-builders was rudimentaryA. J. Toynbee
3
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
the rudimentary tail of a hyrax
rudimentarily adverb
rudimentariness noun

Examples of rudimentary in a Sentence

Because now, every schlemiel with a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a rudimentary grasp of the rules of poker thinks he can play cards with the pros. A. J. Jacobs, New York Times Book Review, 8 May 2005
Despite the rudimentary nature of its instruments—an octant, a chronometer and a level—the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a triumph for science and natural history. Daniel J. Boorstin, U.S. News & World Report, 11 July 1994
A few were hopeless imbeciles, unable to comprehend more than the rudimentary requirements of filling their bellies when food was placed before them … Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Monster Men, 1929
This class requires a rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy. When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules. Some insects have only rudimentary wings.
Recent Examples on the Web Some characters observe paper cutouts against moving backdrops via magnifying glass, creating their own rudimentary 3D in the process, at a time when cinema was in its infancy. Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024 The young boy’s father replaced his son’s rudimentary mammal book with a more comprehensive tome by J.G. Wood, an English author of popular volumes on natural history. Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024 The researchers noted that a rudimentary way to perform meta-reasoning in this sphere would be to simply aggregate the answers, rather than try to analyze the respective chains. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 The duo’s second feature builds on a bare-bones concept that feels more rudimentary than rustic much of the time, and yet, the filmmakers’ decisive presentation is enjoyable enough as an entrée served straight to streaming. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rudimentary 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rudimentary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see rudiment

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rudimentary was in 1619

Dictionary Entries Near rudimentary

Cite this Entry

“Rudimentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rudimentary. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

rudimentary

adjective
ru·​di·​men·​ta·​ry ˌrüd-ə-ˈment-ə-rē How to pronounce rudimentary (audio)
-ˈmen-trē
1
2
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a small part compared to the fully developed form
a rudimentary tail

Medical Definition

rudimentary

adjective
ru·​di·​men·​ta·​ry ˌrüd-ə-ˈment-ə-rē, -ˈmen-trē How to pronounce rudimentary (audio)
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige

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