BASAL Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

basal

adjective

ˈbā-səl

Definition of basal

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 On the other hand, Silphium terebinthinaceum has basal foliage that stays close to the ground while its inflorescence is wildly airy. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Aug. 2026 Your eyes constantly produce a thin layer of basal tears to keep the cornea lubricated, and the duct quietly shuttles that trickle into the nose, where it’s absorbed or blended into normal nasal mucus without a trace. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 If dopamine neurons in the basal ganglia degenerate as happens in Parkinson’s disease, movements become harder to initiate and slower once they are commenced. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Plants produce a basal rosette of downy foliage in their first year and flower in the second season, after which the plants typically die out. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for basal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for basal

Adjective

That’s one of the basic rules outlined in the New York Times Crossword submission guidelines and a convention followed by just about every major crossword outlet.

— New York Times, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Residents are dealing with rising costs while still asking for basic improvements to roads, lighting, flooding and traffic safety.

— Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of basic

Adjective

Allow me, before dealing with twentieth-century science, to dwell upon one more elementary fact.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
And, in New York City, the nation’s largest school district recently rolled out a new policy restricting screen time for elementary and middle school students, along with the use of artificial intelligence.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of elementary

Adjective

That effectively turns the window unit into a rudimentary ground-source heat pump.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
People in New York City looked up in shock and dismay; people everywhere else watched their favorite anchors on old-fashioned television sets and looked for updates on very rudimentary versions of news websites.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of rudimentary

Adjective

New data presented at the UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday shows that more first-year students are failing introductory math courses now than six years ago when the university moved to a test-blind admissions process.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Together, the introductory courses make up about 5% of the classes freshmen take, ranging from 2% at UC Irvine to 12% at UC Merced.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of introductory

Adjective

An underlying crystal compressed the material and helped stabilize its atomic arrangement.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Both shows attempted to offer a perspective on authentic Italian style, with Milan's incongruities as an underlying theme.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of underlying

Adjective

Other research points to fundamental flaws of SAT and ACT testing, including that students from higher-income families tend to have higher SAT scores.

— Beth Kania-Gosche, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
The drilling partnership therefore addresses a fundamental part of the deployment model.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of fundamental

Browse Nearby Words

barters (for)

basal

base

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Basal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basal. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of basal

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

argot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes