as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
many students lacked even a basal familiarity with the topic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of basal
My father had basal skin cancer and my brother had it.
—
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2025
Mazlish watched as his wife programmed her insulin pump to deliver both dribbles of basal insulin throughout the day and a large bolus with meals.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Both doctors, however, said there’s not yet enough data to say whether nicotinamide supplementation is beneficial for people who have never had skin cancer, or who have had melanoma—which is less common but deadlier than basal and squamous cell disease.
—Jamie Ducharme, Health, 26 Sep. 2025
The shallow sensors were thus unable to access deep brain regions—such as the hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and limbic system—that govern hunger, thirst, sleep, pain, memory, emotions, and other important perceptions and behaviors.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for basal
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2025
Mazlish watched as his wife programmed her insulin pump to deliver both dribbles of basal insulin throughout the day and a large bolus with meals.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Both doctors, however, said there’s not yet enough data to say whether nicotinamide supplementation is beneficial for people who have never had skin cancer, or who have had melanoma—which is less common but deadlier than basal and squamous cell disease.
—Jamie Ducharme, Health, 26 Sep. 2025
The shallow sensors were thus unable to access deep brain regions—such as the hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and limbic system—that govern hunger, thirst, sleep, pain, memory, emotions, and other important perceptions and behaviors.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for basal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basal
Adjective
-
At that point, the operator would recite the most intimate details of a patient’s health history to hook her before launching into a few basic screening questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Ross argued that allowing local police to provide basic crowd control — rather than restricting coordination — could have reduced risks during recent confrontations.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Stenvik cancelled the annual all-district band concert, scheduled for last week, in which players from the elementary, middle, and high schools perform together on one stage.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Her stories are well-told, relevant and often searing, detailing an elementary-school teacher’s slight, a hometown swimming-pool reckoning and chauvinism from an Ivy League club.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Early warning is rudimentary and community liaison mechanisms are flimsy.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The federal student loan program lacks even rudimentary safeguards common in the private sector.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
During an introductory press conference with the Steelers that got emotional at times, McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, beamed with pride about his third head coaching opportunity.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Kevin Stefanski walked into his introductory news conference Tuesday smiling, joking about the weather, and sounding exactly like a coach ready to get to work.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brentford’s recruitment tends to favour young, relatively unheralded players with strong underlying numbers.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Schnell said his department has repeatedly asked DHS to provide underlying data, methodologies or jurisdictional breakdowns but has received no response.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Its constraint, however, is fundamental.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Tomei warned, however, that while some extent of fundamental demand for precious metals has been a driver of the recent gains, that alone fails to justify the magnitude of the rise.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Basal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basal. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
