foundational

adjective

foun·​da·​tion·​al fau̇n-ˈdā-sh(ə-)nəl 

: of, relating to, or forming or serving as a base or foundation : fundamental

foundational principles/doctrines

These foundational volumes proved to be, each in its own way, enabling gestures for the growth of sophisticated theories and critical practices in African, Caribbean, and African American literatures.

—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Property was, in a sense, foundational to culture, since English political economy rested on the private ownership of land, and the political economy, in turn, largely structured social relations.

—Jill Lepore

Philosophy is a foundational discipline. Not only does it do the spadework that makes the construction of other disciplines possible; it also pays constant attention to the foundations of those disciplines as they are practiced.

—Cognitive Science

foundationally adverb

Examples of foundational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With the transformative talent of Mahomes and the presence of Andy Reid, the fourth-winningest coach in NFL history, the Chiefs have certain parallel foundational elements in place. —Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025

Some drinks are so foundational to our understanding of mixed beverages that they’re less invented than discovered, like fire itself. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2025

The trouble has to do with the significant threat AI poses to the foundational mechanism by which corporations cultivate expertise. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025

Eisman framed the concern as a foundational risk, comparing it to the flawed assumption underpinning the pre-crisis mortgage market circa 2006-2008. —Yun Li, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foundational

• formational
• gestational
• gradational
• locational
• mutational
• nonrational
• notational
• relational
• rotational
• sensational
• translational
• vibrational