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

Rather than scaling software, their approach focuses on overcoming physical bottlenecks—verified by the laws of physics—to build the foundational architecture for the broader space economy. —Alexandra Vidyuk, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

The test results show younger kids are improving foundational skills, such as identifying facts in a simple news article or understanding basic multiplication and division. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

Apparently this design is inspired by Viennese coffee house culture, a reference to where plenty of the foundational theories of modern football were discussed and formulated. —Nick Miller, New York Times, 10 June 2026

For more than a decade, Beijing’s nonstop intoning of the happy-sounding catchphrase — the foundational tenet of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s foreign policy — caused eyes to roll in Washington. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foundational

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