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

Privacy-preserving tech should be foundational, and tokenomics must reward real contributions, not just speculation. —Matvii Diadkov, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Phillips started every game the past three seasons for the team since arriving from the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and was considered a foundational player for the new regime under Kevin O'Connell. —Trevor Squire, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025

This assumption was, in fact, foundational to the Information Age. —Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Its potential sunset threatens to unleash a wave of cyberattacks that will devastate the small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that form a foundational part of our economy. —Cynthia Kaiser, Fortune, 17 Aug. 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